|
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
Pg. 322 &323
BIO: Harry Stuart Irons, Monroe Co.
Harry Stuart Irons. The record of achievement which Mr. Irons had made in
his profession marks him as one of the representative members of the bar of
Cabell County, where he is engaged in active general practice in the City of
Huntington. He was born at Monitor, Monroe County, this state, September
18, 1886, a son of William Young Irons, and a grandson of John Irons, who
was born in that county in the year 1813, when this section of the old mother state of Virginia was still on the frontier. John Irons passed his
entire life in Monroe County, was a successful farmer and was a venerable
and honored citizen of Wolfcreek, that county, at the time of his death, in
1900. His wife who was Suzanna Young, likewise passed her entire life in
Monroe County. Thomas Irons, the father of John Irons was born near Dundee,
Scotland, but in early life went to Northern Ireland to escape religious
persecution, thence immigrated to America. He first settled in Pennsylvania, in what is now Monroe County West Virginia, where he whence he
came to Virginia and became a pioneer settler passed the remainder of his
life.
William Young Irons was born in Monroe County on February 19, 1841, and
died at Ronceverte, Greenbrier County, September 30, 1917. He was a successful exponent of farm industry and also prepared himself for the
dental profession, as a representative of which he engaged in practice in
Monroe County until 1904 when he removed to Elkins in Randolph County, where
he remained until 1912. He then removed to Roncerverte and continued in
practice there until his death. He was a democrat, was for many years an
elder in the Presbyterian Church, and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. As a soldier of the Confederacy in the Civil war Doctor Irons
was a member of Captain Bryan’s battery in the division commanded by Gen.
Jubal A. Early, he having been in service four years and having taken part
in many engagements, including a number of major battles. His wife, whose
maiden name was Mary Elizabeth Knapp was born in Greenbrier County, March
21, 1849, and her death occurred on August 31, 1914. Of their children the
first born is Sue Elizabeth, wife of Frank W. Hutcheson, of Roncerverte;
John William, who resides at Richmond, Virginia, is assistant sales manager
for the Virginia-Carolina Rubber Company; Lacy C. is a machinist and resides
at Elkins, West Virginia; Harry S., of this sketch, was the next in order of
birth; Dr. Charles G. is now practicing dentistry in Shanghai, China, he
having served in the World war as a member of the Dental Corps attached to
the Zcheko-Slovak forces that went to Omsk, Russia.
The public schools of his native county afforded Harry S. Irons his early
education. For one year thereafter he attended Alderson Academy in Greenbrier County, and in 1904 he graduated from the high school at Elkins.
He next attended Davis and Elkins College at Elkins for two years, and in
1911 he graduated from historic old Yale University, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He simultaneously pursued his studies in the law
department of the university, in which he was graduated 1912, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. His popularity as an undergraduate is shown by
the fact that he is affiliated with the Beta Theta Pi College fraternity,
the honorary academic society of Phi Beta Kappa, the honorary law society of
Chi Tau Kappa, as well as with the Yale law societies of Phi Delta Phi and
Corbey Court. In 1912 he received the prize of $50 for making the highest
mark in examinations of all of the three-year students in the law school of
Yale, and from 1911 to his graduation he served as registrar of the law school. Upon his return to West Virginia he was forthwith admitted to the
bar of his native state, and he has since been engaged in successful general
practice at Huntington, where he has a large and representative clientage.
He is attorney for the Jackson Building & Loan Association, of Ravenswood,
with offices at Huntington, and for a number of other corporate interests of
note. He is identified with a number of coal and lumber interests in this
section of the state. He is vice president of The Superior Lumber Company
at Huntington; of the Right Fork Mining Company, operating mines at
Ivaton, Lincoln County; and of the Coal Mountain Mining Company of Huntington,
besides being a director in various other business corporations.
In politics Mr. Irons is a democrat, and he and his wife are members of the
First Presbyterian Church in their home city, he being an elder in the same
and also session clerk and superintendent of the Sunday school. His basic
Masonic affiliation is with Huntington Lodge No. 53, A. F. and A. M., and in
the Scottish Rite he has received the thirty-second degree in West Virginia
Consistory No.1 at Wheeling, the while he is a member also of Beni-Kedem
temple of the Mystic Shrine at Charleston, and of Feramorz Grotto at Huntington. He is a trustee of Davis and Elkins College, is secretary of
the Cabell County Bar Association, a member of the West Virginia and American Bar association, and is vice president of the Kiwanis Club at
Huntington. In the World war period he was a zealous in the furtherance of
Advisory Board of Cabell County.
March 26, 1913, he recorded the marriage of Mr. Irons and Miss Cecile
Lambert, daughter of David D. and Katharine (Latham) Lambert, of New Haven,
Connecticut, where Mr. Lambert is a public school principal. Mrs. Irons
completed her education by attending Wheaton Seminary at Norton, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Irons have three children: Harry Stuart, Jr.,
born April 12, 1914; Lambert Paul, born June 19, 1915; and Katharine, born
November 26, 1918. |
