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Ira F. Harlan, M. D.,
former owner and manager of the Harlin Cigar
and Tobacco Company,
located at 223 N. Clark street, Moberly, No., has
been one of the
progressive and well known business men of this city for
over a decade and a half
and during that period has earned a place H high
standing in the community.
Doctor Harlan was born at Kirksville Mo.,
Oct. 2, 1871, the son of
Ira G. and Nancy (Nicholas) Harlan, both natives
of Adair County, Mo.,
where they were reared, educated and later met
and married in 1868. Ira
G. Harlan, after reaching maturity became a
merchant and was engaged
in that business in Kirksville.
There were four children
in the Harlan family: M. M., deceased; L.
E., working for the
Missouri Pacific Railroad at Denver, Col D. R.,
Kellogg, Idaho, and Ira F.,
the subject of this review. The children spent
their childhood and early
youth in Kirksville and attended the public
schools of that town and
after Ira F. had completed his elementary edu-
cation he entered the
Barnes Medical College, In 1897 he was granted
the degree of Doctor of
Medicine from that institution, passed the state
medical examination, In
the fall of the year opened an office at Stan-
bury, Mo., where he began
the practice. Dr. Harlan built up a good
practice, but in 1904 he
decided to come to Moberly and after locating
in this city entered upon a
business closely associated with medicine, that
of drugs. The doctor
opened a store at the corner of 4th and Reed
streets, where he soon
became recognized as one of the leading business
men in his line. He carried
an up-to-date stock, paid strict attention to
the prescription business,
catered to the present day demands of a drug-
gist and had a satisfactory
business. He sold his business to Rucker
Brothers in 1911. He then
engaged in the retail and wholesale cigar
business. Doctor Harlan is
on the road himself doing his own selling to
the retailers of this section,
He is a man of genial presence, pays strict
attention to the business,
has many good friends and is considered one
of the best commercial
men of this section of the state. Year by year
his wholesale business
grew and in 1920 he sold out and is moving to
California.
In 1902, Doctor Harlan
married Miss Ethel G. Ross, of Stansbury,
Mo., the daughter of John
A. and Martha (Howell) Ross. The father is
now deceased and the
mother resides at Stanbury. Two children were
born to this union: Martha
Ann, at home and Ross, who died in his 14th
year, Nov. 30, 1918.
Dr, Harlan is one of the
popular men of Moberly who supports all
progressive movements,
He is a Knights Templar Mason and a Shriner
and belongs to the Elks,
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Modern Woodmen, the
Yeomen and the Travelers Protective Association.
He served as mayor of
Moberly two terms. He was elected in 1915 on
the Democratic ticket. The
present fire department was inaugurated
under his administration
and additional improvements to city water
works made.
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