Harper, Margaret L., 1894-1980.

Margaret L. Andrews was born in Strawberry Point, Iowa to Louis Kossuth Andrews and his wife Samantha Relief (Cole) Andrews. Margaret's family eventually moved to rural Clearwater, Minnesota, where they were farming when Stanley Harper arrived in the area and Margaret became acquainted with him.

Stanley James Harper (1894-1971) was the son of Joseph Lister Harper and Carrie May (Felt) Harper. He had one sister, Josephine Louise (1892-1911), who died of pneumonia while a student at Wellesley College. Joseph L. Harper was a partner in the Winston, Harper, Fisher Company, a Minneapolis wholesale grocery firm. Stanley grew up in Minneapolis, and graduated from West High School (1911) and the University of Minnesota (1916). He then moved to rural Clearwater to manage a small farm there owned by his family. In 1918 he entered the army and, after training at Camp Dodge, Iowa, served in France with the Headquarters Company, 349th Infantry Regiment, of the American Expeditionary Force. Stanley's regiment was discharged in June 1919.

During Stanley's service in World War I Margaret managed the Harper farm and, with the help of her father and her brother Clifford, cared for the livestock and began to renovate the dilapidated farmhouse.

Stanley and Margaret were married on June 26, 1919. They lived on the Harper farm at Clearwater until 1920, when they moved to Minneapolis where Stanley worked as a salesman for L. E. Doudiet & Company Inc., "importers of food stuffs." In 1923 and 1924 he was secretary of the firm, and by 1925 had been made secretary-treasurer.

The name of the business was changed to Tew-Harper Company around 1925 when Mr. Doudiet retired and Arthur O. Tew purchased his interest in the firm. Tew-Harper was a partnership, with Tew the senior partner/investor and Stanley Harper the junior partner/investor. They were wholesalers of specialty foods, primarily bulk chocolate, imported and domestic nuts, and imported tea. The business was liquidated by 1955 following the death of Mr. Tew.

Stanley served as secretary-treasurer of Tew-Harper from 1926 to 1953. He was later president of a Minneapolis organization called Fraternal Associates, Inc. (ca. 1955-ca. 1967). Stanley was a lifelong photography enthusiast, and was a member of the Minneapolis Camera Club. He died on March 28, 1971 while on vacation with Margaret in Florida.

Margaret was a housewife during her years in Minneapolis. She and Stanley had six surviving children: Josephine L. (b. 1920), Helen Margaret (1923-1983), Elizabeth Jean (b. 1924), Ruth Virginia (b. 1928), Kathryn Adele (1929-1990), and James Lister (b. 1934). A baby boy born in 1922 lived for only one day. The Harpers divided their time between their Minneapolis house and a home on Lake Minnetonka, west of the city. In their retirement years Stanley and Margaret traveled widely and spent their winters in Florida.

From the guide to the Margaret and Stanley Harper papers., 1804-1988 (bulk 1900-1980)., (Minnesota Historical Society)