History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/John G. Foote
JOHN G. FOOTE was born at Middlebury, Vermont, April 21, 1814. He came to Iowa in 1843, locating at Burlington where for thirty-three years he was engaged in the hardware business. He was one of the influential promoters of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad and treasurer of the company for several years, also serving as director of the Peoria, Carthage & Burlington Railroad and of the first telegraph company which built a line to Burlington. Mr. Foote was one of the organizers and a director of the First National Bank of Burlington. In 1861 be was elected on the Republican ticket State Senator, serving in the Ninth and Tenth General Assemblies. He ranked high in financial legislation. In 1872 he was chosen one of the commissioners to superintend the erection of the new State House and had charge of the finances until the building was completed in 1886. Under his administration $2,876,300 were disbursed and not a dollar was misappropriated during the fourteen years in which the work was in progress. He was a man of fine business ability and of stern integrity. He died on the 4th of March, 1896.