Isaac Sterling Struble (November 3, 1843 – February 17, 1913) was an American politician who was a four-termRepublicanRepresentative ofIowa's 11th congressional district. Serving from 1883 to 1891, thePlymouth County resident was a noted congressional opponent ofplural marriage in theUtah Territory.
The member of a politically active family, Isaac's six brothers includedJohn T. Struble of Iowa, andGeorge R. Struble, former speaker of theIowa House of Representatives. He was the granduncle ofBob Struble, Sr. and great-granduncle ofBob Struble, Jr.
Isaac Struble ofLe Mars, Iowa, was born nearFredericksburg, Virginia. His great-grandfather, Dietrich Struble ofAlbig beiAlzey,Germany, had sailed toPhiladelphia in 1748, settling outsideGerman Valley, New Jersey (since renamed Long Valley). As a boy, Isaac migrated toOhio and finally toIowa, where the family settled on a farm nearIowa City. He was educated in the public schools of Ohio and Iowa.
Struble fought in theCivil War. In August 1862, Struble (then 18) enlisted in Company F of the22nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment, marching in the ranks of theUnion Army as a private. When he first donned the uniform of the Union, Isaac stood 5'8" with brown eyes and reddish hair. After he was wounded in theBattle of Cedar Creek in Virginia on October 19, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He was mustered out of the service on July 25, 1865. In addition to Cedar Creek, his combat experience included theBattle of Port Gibson, theSiege of Vicksburg, and theBattle of Opequon (otherwise known as the Third Battle of Winchester).
In 1866, more than a year after the Civil War, Struble went toSt. Louis, Missouri, where he remained about a year as bookkeeper in the wholesale house of J.H. Teasdale & Co., where his uncle was the senior partner. He then moved to Iowa where he attended law school. After admission to the bar he became a practicing attorney inPolo, Illinois in 1870. In 1872, Struble moved toLe Mars, Iowa. Le Mars, in Plymouth County, was then a three-year-old town with a total of some 50 houses. There he and an older brother, James Hammie Struble, set up their law office on Main Street. For the next ten years he applied himself to private legal practice in Le Mars, holding no public office until 1882.
He married Adelaide E. Stone on June 3, 1874.
As a result of the 1880 census, Iowa's delegation in the U.S. House increased from nine to eleven members, causing the 1881Iowa General Assembly (where George R. Struble was midway through his term as speaker of the House of Representatives) to reapportion the state's nine-district map into an eleven-district map. Plymouth County and much of northwestern Iowa was included in a new Eleventh District. In 1882, Isaac Struble won the Republican nomination to become the Eleventh District's first representative, then won the general election, becoming a member of theForty-eighth United States Congress. Struble entered the U.S. House as a member of a freshman class so large that it made up a majority of the House membership, something that has never recurred.
During the three subsequent elections (in 1884, 1886, and 1888), Struble won the Republican renomination by acclamation in district nomination conventions then defeatedDemocratic Party andGreenback Party candidates in the general election. Struble was, according to theNew York Times, "exceptionally popular" at the end of his third term.[1][2] But in 1890, after 43 ballots, the GOP nominating convention gave its nod to the newspaper editor and former state senator,George D. Perkins of Sioux City, who held the seat from 1891 to 1899.[1] In all, Struble served in Congress from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1891.
Struble's support in Congress for theMcKinley Tariff bill in 1890 had been unpopular with farmers in Iowa, who foresaw that a trade war would hurt agricultural exports. The tariff was also a factor in the subsequent economic depression of 1893–97. The tariff's widespread unpopularity at the time of its passage resulted in a Democratic landslide so sweeping nationally that the election of 1890 dropped the Republicans from their majority of 51% in the House down to a minority of only 27% of the House membership.
During his four terms (1883–1891), Congressman Struble enjoyed considerable popularity in his district among rank-and-file citizens, and a small town founded at the time was given the name"Struble" in his honor.
Another measure of Struble's popularity as a representative in Congress was the impressive reception he received in his hometown of LeMars when, in March 1891, he made his final return to Iowa from the halls of Congress. Upon arriving by train, he was greeted by a large crowd, and regaled by the local Striker's Band. A stage had been prepared, and after welcoming words from the mayor and local dignitaries, Struble delivered his farewell address.
As reprinted in theLeMars Sentinel Struble's speech outlined the blessings and burdens of being a member of the House of Representatives contemporaneous with the likes of House SpeakerThomas Brackett Reed, future speakerJoe Cannon and future presidentWilliam McKinley. He offered remarks about such subjects as the proper limits of partisan politics, political patronage, and the heavy load of constituent services and committee work already demanded of a Congressman at that time. His reflections offer a useful study on the "ombudsman" role as it operated a dozen decades ago, a task so time-consuming in the 21st century that several staffers per Congressman work full-time on constituent services.[3]
On his career in Congress theCongressional Record provides further information, including his votes and the text of his floor speeches.[4] TheHistory of Woodbury and Plymouth Counties published in the early 1890s indicates that, from the standpoint of his peers in Congress, Struble "was always considered a strong member." As a former soldier, Congressman Struble devoted much time to the interests of his constituents in the armed services, including veterans. He knew how to secure lucrative projects for his district, such as the Sioux City public building bill (1890).[1] It was in theUnited States House Committee on Territories, however, that Struble figured most prominently.
Struble chaired this standing committee during his fourth term. His influence in the Committee on the Territories played a significant role in the admission into the union of six western states –Idaho,Montana,Washington,Wyoming and the two Dakotas, and the organization ofOklahoma Territory. Meanwhile, SenatorShelby Cullom of Illinois together with Congressman Struble pushed theCullom-Struble Bill, whose sanctions againstpolygamy included exclusion of theUtah Territory from statehood. The bill was on the verge of passing Congress in 1890, but the legislation was preempted whenthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) formally disavowed polygamous marriages with the1890 Manifesto.[5]
During their political careers, he and his brother, George R. Struble, were cultural conservatives of the 19th century sort. Both supportedprohibition, and Isaac was prominent in his opposition to bigamy. Their stands on these controversial issues made more than a few enemies.
The law practice which he resumed in LeMars dealt sometimes with collections. As a lawyer, Struble acquired an enemy, William Cassmer, who became so incensed that he entered Struble's office with a whip, but Struble, then 63, faced him down. On the following day, however, while outside on the sidewalk, Struble made the mistake, as he later admitted, of turning his back on Cassmer. Cassmer struck Struble on the back of the neck, which rendered Struble unconscious for several minutes and resulted in injuries requiring the attention of a physician.
Isaac was a charter member of the First Congregational Church in Le Mars, and was also active in the Masonic fraternal order.
Struble died suddenly of a diabetic seizure in Le Mars, and is buried in the Le Mars Cemetery.[6] He was survived by his wife and four of his five children.
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