Chief Justice Joseph M. Beck House

This historic home was built by Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph M. Beck (1823-1893) in 1869. Beck served on the court from 1868 to 1891 and was chief justice for five of those years. He is known for supporting the civil rights of African Americans in five cases. The most notable of these was the Coger vs. The Northwest Union Packet Company case in 1873. African American teacher Emma Lane Coger was traveling on a company steamboat and was forcibly removed from her table in the boat's first-class dining room. Beck wrote the court's opinion in favor of her case stating that the a person of color is entitled to the same rights as a white person and cannot be compelled to accept accommodations different than that of a white person. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and remains a private residence.

Joseph Beck was born on April 21, 1823 in Clermont County, Ohio. He grew up on a farm and attended commons schools until enrolling at Hanover College in Indiana when he was 16. After graduating in 1842, he worked as a teacher in Kentucky then studied law in Madison, Indiana. He was admitted in the Indiana bar in 1846. The next year Beck moved to Montrose, Iowa and opened a law practice.

He arrived in Fort Madison in 1850 and became a partner with friend who was also a lawyer. Beck quickly earned a good reputation in the community and was elected mayor and prosecuting attorney in 1852. Around this time he helped organized the Republican Party as well as the first Baptist Church in the city. He served as superintendent of the Sabbath school at the church and established a Sabbath school at the Iowa Penitentiary in Fort Madison (he served as superintendent there as well for fourteen years). In addition to his law practice, Beck became was a successful businessman as well. He was one of the first incorporators of First National Bank and served as director and played a role in building the Fort Madison, Farmington and Western Railroad Company.

Beck married his wife, Clara, in 1844. They had three children but only two were living at the time Beck died in 1893. Clara passed away in 1885.

The house, which the Beck family owned until 1937, is also significant for its architecture. It incorporates elements of the Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Romanesque Revival styles. It features a high-pitched north facade gable, elaborate verge boards, arched windows, a bay window, and cornice brackets.

"Joseph M. Beck." Iowa Judicial Branch. Accessed November 9, 2021. https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/educational-resources-and-services/iowa-courts-history/past-justices/joseph-m-beck.

"Our Iowa Heritage: Coger + Beck + Miller = Liberty & Justice For All." Our Iowa Heritage. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://bollerfamily.org/our-iowa-heritage-beck-miller-coger.

Soike, Lowell. "Joseph M. Beck House." July 21, 1988. National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/88001116_text.