Abel Beach

Beach was born in Groton, New York in 1829.^[6][7] In 1846, he enrolled in Union College in Schenectady, New York his sophomore year.^[8] His classmates at Union included Chester A. Aurthur and Daniel Butterfield.^[2][9][10]

While at Union, he was a founder of Theta Delta Chi fraternity in 1847.^[1][11][12] He also helped designed the fraternity's badge and wrote its motto.^[13][14] In what should have been his senior year, he taught school.^[8] However, he returned to Union and graduated in 1849.^[6][15] He tied for first place in his class and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.^[8][16]

After graduating from college, he taught school at the Ithaca Academy in Ithaca, New York.^[8] He then taught school in Virginia and at the Westfield Academy in New York.^[8] However, he left teaching after contracting a bronchial infection.^[8] In Buffalo, New York, Beach studied law with Messrs. Marvin Bros.^[8] He was admitted to the Bar and practice law in Ithaca, New York.^[1][7][8]

He moved to Iowa in 1854 where his health recovered.^[8] He became of professor and chair of Ancient Languages (Greek and Latin) at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.^[6][15][17] He was one of three faculty members for what was then called the Mechanics Academy in the spring 1855 term.^[18][19] His appointment was approved by the board on March 15, 1855, and his pay was $130 for the seven weeks of the term.^[20][8] However, he resigned his position in 1857 after the return of his health condition.^{[15][17][20][8]}

He was the assistant Iowa Auditor of State under Republican John Patte, starting on December 3, 1855.^[2][21][22] The state capital of Iowa moved from Iowa City to Des Moines in 1857, necessitating Beach's move to Des Moines.^[2][17] Although his term did not end until December 1858, he resigned in March 1858 and returned to farming on his property near Iowa City ^[23]

Corn was one of the crops he grew on his farm; in 1860, he had the best bushel of yellow corn at the fair.^[24] He left the farm for Iowa City where he pursued various businesses.^[15] Beach was the private secretary of Iowa's Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood sometime during his 1860 to 1864 term.^[2] He became the editor of the morning newspaper in Keokuk, Iowa; however, working an overnight schedule hurt his health.^[8] In 1864, he received a U.S. Patent for an automatic cistern regulator.^[25] Later, he received a patent for a writing tablet.^[26]

Around 1865, he started a book and stationery mercantile, Beach & Allin, with R. A. Allin.^{[1][15][7][8]} When Beach & Allin when out of business, he became an insurance and pension attorney in Iowa City.^[6][15] In the 1890s, he held former soldiers and their families secure pensions and completed pension paperwork.^{[27][28][29][30]} His clients were veterans of the Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Mexican–American War.^[31] He was also affiliated with the Bureau of Pensions.^[2]

Beach was a poet whose work was published in regional periodicals and two volumes.^{[1][6][32][33][34]} He wrote and recited poems for special events, such as the Johnson County Pioneers' Gala Day in 1892 where, according to the local newspaper, his recitation was "thrilling".^[35] However, a review of one of poetry collections noted, "Eager as we were to find real poetry in his Western Airs, our laborious research proved unavailing...."^[36] A modern author, Clarence Andrews, consider's Beach's poetry to be "sentimental and ordinary".^[37]

Beach also contributed articles and prose that were published in various newspapers.^[38][39] One of his essays, "Modern Architecture: A Plea for the Establishment of a Purely American School", was published in the Chicago Journal in 1888 and reprinted by newspapers in the midwest.^[40][41]