Ira R. Curtiss (1836-1911) was born in Mount Morris, New York, and died in Marengo, Illinois. He was married to Josephine D. Curtiss. Curtiss started his college education at Antioch College, Ohio, before completing his studies at Union College, New York. After graduation, Curtiss read law alongside his older brother, Frank, in the law offices of Van Arnam, Walker & Dexter in Springfield, Ohio. The Curtiss brothers moved to Marengo in 1861 and set up their own law office. This move to Marengo coincided with the outbreak of the Civil War, and Ira R. Curtiss enlisted in the Union Army, serving in Company D of the Illinois 15th Volunteer Infantry Regiment. In 1865, he was elected to the Illinois State Bar and practiced in Marengo until 1876, when he was elected State's Attorney for McHenry County, a position he held for eight years. Later, Curtiss became a banker, helping found and serving as president of the Dairymen's State Bank of Marengo.

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