Herman Caswell Hemenway, born in Potsdam, New York, in 1834, was a public school teacher who moved west to Independence, Iowa, to practice law. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army and was commissioned First Lieutenant in the 27th Iowa Infantry. After the war, he moved to Cedar Falls and established a legal practice that continued for 47 years. He married Lanie G. Schermerhorn in 1868. A devoted public servant and early influential leader in the community, he was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1875 and to the Iowa Senate in 1877. As a Representative in 1876, he secured passage of a bill establishing the Iowa State Normal School, which eventually became the University of Northern Iowa, and for securing its location and appropriations he became known as the "Father of the Normal School." He also served as Mayor of Cedar Falls from 1903 to 1905. The Hemenway family strongly supported women's suffrage and made their home a shelter for women seeking an education at the Normal School, personally funding room, board, books, and tuition. After Lanie Hemenway died in 1913, Herman Hemenway that same year donated 1.1 acres for Clay Street Park to be used as a "Children's Play Ground" in perpetuity. He died in 1922, and his contributions remained a visible and valuable part of the neighborhood and community.