Chapter 13 cont. WILLIAM B CONWAY MADE FIRST TERRITORIAL SECRETARY OF IOWA - COMES TO DAVENPORT AND MEETS ANTOINE LECLAIRE AND COLONEL GEORGE DAVENPORT In the year 1838 William B. Conway, a young Pennsylvanian who had been admitted to the bar of his state and had taken an active part in politics at that time, came to the young and growing city of Davenport.  He had been previously appointed by President Van Buren as secretary of the then newly formed territory of Iowa.  He immediately fell in love with this section of the country and, meeting such men as Antoine LeClaire and Colonel Davenport, was led to believe by them and others that Davenport was the greatest town in the territory and had a magnificent future before her.  In a letter published in the "Annals of Iowa" in July, 1865, a production of T. S. Parvin, that gentleman had the following to say concerning the appointment of Mr. Conway, his important position and certain of the incidents that grew out of his incumbency of the office.  Mr. Parvin in his article says that prior to the appointment of William B. Conway to the office of secretary of the territory of Iowa, in 1838, he was editing a small political paper in the city of Pittsburg which supported Genreal Jackson during his candidacy for the presidence.  It was a rabid, violent, partisan paper, quite in accord with many of the personal traits of the editor, and by reason of the earnestness of his advocacy of the election of General Jackson and his successor, Martin Van Buren, he was appointed by the latter secretary of the territory of Iowa in June, 1838, a few days after the approval of the act separating Iowa from Wisconsin and creating it into an independent territorial district - the act to take effect in July, following, from which period Iowa dated its territorial existence. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L