Person:Lorenzo Housel (1)

He spent time as a 'reporter' for small newspapers in Tioga County, NY, before being accepted to Yale University. To help fund his way at Yale, he took a job with the local New Haven Newspaper. During his time as an undergraduate and his time in Yale Law School, he developed a following of readers, and an unmistakable writing style in the New Haven Newspaper. So when his friend entered his name in the race to be a Connecticut state legislator representing New Haven, it was all in great fun. But when he won the primary, and went on to win the race; THAT was something else. He became the local working man's hero, but in the legislature, he was the favorite man to take on only the most idealistic legislation that seasoned legislators would not dare to touch. The most famous of these was the legislation to give the simple working man an eight hour work day for five days of work a week. Common sense to our present way of thinking, but very controversial back then. Lorenzo took this challenge because he understood what it was to have a job, to work hard, and also have time for a family: It was a bill whose sponsorship he could believe in. But it was also a bill that so many other legislators passed to him because they knew that the money that controlled the votes was somewhere else.

Being in the legislature in Connecticut was a job that he had not planned for; And so it was, that later in his term, he resigned his seat to marry the woman who was awaiting his return in Nichols. Together they moved to Iowa to take a desk at her father's law office; Her father, the Republican who believed in supporting ventures that uplifted the community without exploiting others to do so. Good ideas that good people with sound minds, fine morals, and unquestionable intent can support. It was thought that the union of this "Connecticut Legislator" with the daughter of a Republican with some standing in the Iowa Legislature, could create some major inroads for the Democrats in this state that rarely votes Democratic.

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