Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
TIGGES, John
TIGGES, John. (Dubuque, IA, May 16, 1932-Dubuque, IA, Oct. 29, 2008). Author. Tigges was an employee of the JOHN DEERE DUBUQUE WORKS and then Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company as a life underwriter before beginning his career as an author and writer in 1973. Tigges wrote more than thirty-eight books. His pen names include "Ned Stone" and "William Essex." In 1976 Tigges was commissioned to write Jean Marie Cardinal, a historical novel. Teaming with James SHAFFER, he wrote Dubuque: The 19th Century, Dubuque: The 20th Century, Iowa’s Last Narrow-Gauge Railroad, and Railroads of Dubuque, Iowa. Using the name William Essex, Tigges has written such novels as Garden of the Incubus, Unto the Altar, Kiss Not the Child, Evil Dreams, The Immortal, Hand of Lucifer, As Evil Does, Vessel, Comes the Wraith, The Pack, Venom, From Below, and Book of the Dead. He wrote Mountain Massacre, and Rails to Hades using the name Ned Stone. Hew founded the Sinipee Writers Workshop and taught writing seminars in Iowas and Wisconsin.
Tigges made many contributions locally to the field of music. He established the Dubuque "Pops" orchestra and co-founded the DUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in 1956. He served as business manager of the symphony for ten years and played violin with it from 1958 to 1968 and again from 1971 to 1973. In 1972 Tigges founded the Julien Strings, a society string orchestra. He led the group and played violin.