This week’s installment of Friday Finds is from a newspaper clipping saved by my Briles cousin, Mildred Barby.
Corning’s Briles Is on Committee
“Corning’s Briles Is on Committee,” undated clipping, from unidentified newspaper; Briles / Rush Genealogy Records, photocopy given to Marcia Philbrick; privately held 2000 by Mildred Barby, Oklahoma.
Des Moines — Lt. Gov. Terry E. Branstad has appointed Sen. James Briles of Corning to a Legislative Conference Committee.
The Committee will discuss a bill relating to the service of county supervisors on agencies and boards, and the payment of township trustees.
Senator Briles’ appointment by Branstad is extremely important because this committee will determine the final version of the bill for passage.
When a bill reaches a Conference Committee it has been passed by both houses of the legislature, but in different forms. Senator Briles is in his fourth term representing District 48 after serving eight years in the Iowa House of Representatives.
He is Chairman of the County Government Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Cities Committee. He also serves on the Energy and Judiciary Committees.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad served from 1983 to 1999. Thus, the above article about Senator James Briles would be from that time period.
A simple Google search uncovered the following sites with information about James E. Briles
- Representative James E. Briles
- James E. Briles (Wikipedia)
- James Edward Briles (Find a Grave)
- Leading Iowa State Senator Endorses Dole
Using the information on the Find A Grave site, I was able to locate James E Briles on the FamilySearch tree. When I displayed his tree, I found why Mildred Barby saved this article. Our common ancestor is Frederick Briles of Randolph County, North Carolina.
While I haven’t been able to locate the article on Newspapers.com, I was able to locate an obituary for Senator Briles.
Corning’s former state Sen. Briles dies
By Ann BittingerFormer Iowa Sen. James E. Briles, 66, of Corning died of complications of cancer Saturday at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha.
“Corning’s former state Sen. Briles dies,” The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa), 13 July 1992, page 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 7 January 2022).
Other former senators remember Briles as an expert in county government who knew the details of his legislation.
Briles was so familiar with his bills that when other senators were mistaken abut details. Briles would turn to the assembly and say, “Read the bills, Senator. Read the bills,” said former Senate majority leader George Kinley.
“That was his famous saying,” Kinley said.
Briles was one of the best senators at introducing his bills early in the session to make sure they would be debated, Kinley said. He remembered Briles for his chairmanship of teh COunty Government Committee.
Former Sen. Eugene Hill remembered Briles as a “jovial character” who was an expert in agricultural legislation.
Briles was born in Prescott and lived in Corning since 1949. He served int he Iowa House of Representative eight years and was elected to the Senate in 1965. He held the Senate seat until his retirement in 1984. Briles also was involved in real estate for more than 30 years and was an auctioneer for 33 years.
He was a decorated Army veteran of World War II and was a member of the Ourcq Post of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; three daughters, Dory Briles of Des Moines, Mary Briles of Corning and Coleen Schieffer of Caladonia, Minn.; five sons, Ed, of Buhl, Idaho, Jim of Terra Ceia Fla., tom of Kansas City, Mo., Rick Jessen of Nodaway; a brother, Harvey of Creston, and nine grandchildren.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Corning United Methodist Church, of which Briles was a member. Burial will be at Cromwell Cemetery near Creston.
Friends may call after 9 a.m. today at Coen-Beaty Funeral Home in Corning. Memorial contributions may be made to the Corning American Legion Scholarship Fund.
