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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's George Cosson? A cosmonaut's cousin.

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George W. Cosson
15th Attorney General of Iowa
In office
January 1911 – January 1917
GovernorBeryl F. Carroll
George W. Clarke
Preceded byHoward Webster Byers
Succeeded byHorace M. Havner
Member of the Iowa Senate
In office
January 11, 1909 – January 8, 1911
Preceded byFrank M. Hopkins[1]
Succeeded byAnthony M. McColl[2]
Assistant Attorney General of Iowa
In office
May 4, 1907 – May 12, 1908
Audubon County Attorney
In office
January 2, 1905 – January 7, 1907
Preceded byFred H. Blume[3]
Succeeded byJames M. Graham
Personal details
Born(1876-01-21)January 21, 1876
Laclede County, Missouri
DiedJune 15, 1963(1963-06-15) (aged 87)
Des Moines, Iowa
Spouse
Jane F. Riggs
​
​
(m. 1904; died 1943)​
EducationUniversity of Iowa College of Law
Valparaiso University

George W. Cosson (January 21, 1876 – June 15, 1963) was the Attorney General of Iowa from 1911 until 1917.[4]

Early life

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Cosson was born in Laclede County, Missouri.[4] He attended school in Manning, Iowa, and subsequently enrolled at Valparaiso University and the University of Iowa.[4] He began working for Milwaukee Road as a station agent and operator from 1892 until 1896. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in June 1898 and moved to Audubon to begin practicing law.[4]

Political career

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County Attorney

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In November 1904, he ran against Democrat George F. Knapp for Audubon County attorney.[5] Cosson won with 1,778 votes compared to Knapp's 1,005 votes.[5] He was sworn in as County Attorney in January 1905.

In November 1906, he ran against Democrat James M. Graham in the general election.[6] Graham won with 1,259 votes against Cosson's 1,233 votes, a difference of only 26 votes.[7]

Assistant Attorney General

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In May 1907, he was appointed Assistant Attorney General of Iowa.[8] He served in that position until May 1908, when he resigned to resume practicing law in Audubon.[9]

Iowa State Senate

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On June 2, 1908, Cosson won the Republican primary with 2,871 votes against Democrat W. C. Elliott's 2,424 votes.[10] On November 3, 1908, he won in the general election with 6,991 votes against Democrat J. S. McLuen's 4,123 votes.[11]

He represented District 17 from 1909 to 1911.[4] He served on the Committees for School, Judiciary, Public Health, Agriculture, Suppression of Intemperance, Highways, Educational Institutions and Claims.[12] He was the chairman of the Suppression of Intemperance Committee.[12]

Attorney General of Iowa

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He served as Attorney General of Iowa in 1911 to 1917.[4]

In November 1910, Cosson ran against Democrat C. E. Walters.[13] Cosson won with 204,918 votes against Walters 165,659 votes.[13]

In November 1912, Cosson ran against Democrat C. E. Walters, in rematch of 1910.[14] Cosson again won with 196,369 votes against Walters 180,465 votes.[14]

Failed Gubernatorial and Senate Races

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He sought the Republican nomination for Governor in 1916, losing to William L. Harding, in the primary by 53,000 votes.[15]

He later ran in the 1932 US Senate Republican primary.[16][17] He ran against Henry Ames Field, incumbent Senator Smith W. Brookhart, former Iowa State Auditor Glenn C. Haynes, Louis Cook and L. E. Eickelberg.[16][17] Cosson lost with 29,687 votes, compared to Field's 197,263 votes, Brookhart's 145,902 votes, Haynes's 43,050 votes.[16][17] Cosson won more votes than Cook, who won 12,103 votes, and Eickelberg, who won 8,513 votes.[16][17] Field won the primary, but lost to Democrat Richard Louis Murphy in the general election.

World War II

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During World War II, Cosson served as Chairman of the Iowa Russian War Relief Committee.[18] He went on a trip to Russia as well.[18]

Personal life

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On December 28, 1904, he married Jane "Jennie" F. Riggs in Indianola.[19] Jennie was a principal at the Audubon schools for 2 years.[19] They had four children.[4] Jennie died on February 3, 1943 in San Francisco, while visiting their son, Clarence.[20] She died of pneumonia.[20]

In 1961, Cosson moved to his daughter's home in Des Moines, and retired from the practice of law in August 1962.[18] He died in Des Moines on June 15, 1963.[18]

[edit]
  • George Cosson 's papers are housed at University of Iowa's Special Collection

References

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  1. ↑ "Frank M. Hopkins". Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Anthony Milroy McColl". Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Audubon Officials". The Daily Nonpareil. December 7, 1904. p. 8. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "George Cosson" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. p. 686. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Audubon County Election Returns". Audubon County Journal. November 10, 1904. p. 3. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  6. ↑ "The Official Ballot-Audubon County". Audubon Republican. November 1, 1906. p. 10. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Audubon County Election Results". Audubon County Journal. November 8, 1906. p. 6. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Attorney General Names Assistant". The Des Moines Register. May 4, 1907. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  9. ↑ "George Cosson Has Resigned". The Gazette. May 12, 1908. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  10. ↑ "1908 Primary Election" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. November 8, 1908. p. 617. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ "1908 General Election" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. November 3, 1908. p. 507. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. pp. 156–158, 160. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  13. 1 2 "1910 General Election" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. p. 444. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  14. 1 2 "1912 General Election" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. p. 180. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  15. ↑ "1916 Primary Election" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. pp. 389–390. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Senatorial Vote". Des Moines Register. June 22, 1932. p. 15. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Iowa Official Register, 1933–34 (PDF). pp. 146–47.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Cosson Dies; Held High State Office". Des Moines Tribune. June 15, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Are Wedded in Indianola". The Des Moines Register. December 29, 1904. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Mrs. Cosson's Rites Monday". Des Moines Tribune. February 6, 1943. p. 2. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
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