Frank R. Grover

Born Frank Reed Grover to parents Aldin J. Grover and Eliza D. Grover on September 17, 1858, Grover spent his early life in Lyons Township, Illinois. The Grover family moved to Evanston in 1866 when Aldin Grover was elected as the President of the Village of Evanston. Frank Grover would stay in Evanston for the remainder of his life, graduating from Evanston High School in 1877 and later, Union College of Law at Northwestern University in 1883. He married Ella F. Smith in 1884 and the pair had one son, Mortimer C. Grover. 

Frank Grover became a notable figure for his work in the legal organization of the city. He was the youngest person ever elected to the Board of Trustees of the Village of Evanston and selected as the very first City Attorney and Corporation Council. By 1892, Frank R. Grover contributed significant work to the ongoing organization of the new city government. He was also Chairman of a Committee chosen by Evanstonians to aid in the legal fight to prevent Chicago from annexing Evanston, which would eventually prove successful. 

Outside his work life, Grover had a passion for the collection of “aboriginal elements and objects of historical value, especially firearms and weapons.” He joined the Evanston Historical Society as one of its founding directors in 1898. Frank R. Grover was elected Vice President, a position he held until 1917, when he was elected President. Grover was an active contributor to the Society, publishing a number of works on the area’s Indigenous history and delivering lectures to nearby historical societies. Frank R. Grover continued his activities and role as President for the next two years until his death at age sixty-two on December 10, 1919.