Leavenworth County History
Early Officials of Leavenworth
"The History of Leavenworth, the Metropolis of Kansas"
Levenworth Board of Trade, 1880
The first Board of County Commissioners for Leavenworth
county was composed of John A. Halderman, Probate Judge
and ex-officio President of the Board; Joseph Hall, (both of
Leavenworth City,) and Mathew R. Walker, of Wyandotte
village, then in Leavenworth county. They held their
respective positions by virtue of the action of the joint session
of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Kansas. The
commission of Judge Halderman bears date 27th day of
August, A. D., 1855; that of J. M. Hall, the same date; and of
Mathew R. Walker, 29th of August, A. D., 1855. They were
all issued and signed by Daniel Woodson, acting Governor of
the Territory of Kansas, at the "Shawnee Manual Labor
School."
The City of Leavenworth was duly incorporated and a
special charter granted by the first Territorial Legislature at
Shawnee Mission in the summer of 1855. A supplemental
act was passed a few days after providing for an election for
Mayor and Councilmen, and appointing J. Harvey Day, W.
H. Adams, and Lewis N. Rees, of the City of Leavenworth,
for Judges of the election to hold the first election for a Mayor
and Board of Councilmen under the provisions of the original
act. The time was to be fixed by said Judges and they were
to give at least three days' notice of the time and place by ten
written or printed hand bills put up at ten public places in
said city. They were to give to the Mayor and Council the
certificate of their election." The act of incorporation and
the supplemental act can be found in the statutes of Kansas
of 1855, pages 837 to 847, inclusive, also the two first acts in
book of city charters and ordinances of Leavenworth revised
and compiled, 1869 and 1870. Although there are quite a
number of persons in this city now who must have been
present at that election, there are but two persons in this
whole section of the country who were city officers at that first
election, viz: George Russell, still a resident and stove merchant
on Delaware street, south side, between Third and Fourth
streets, and William T. Marvin, a farmer in Easton township, in this county, formerly a member of the Board of
County Commissioners. They were both elected Councilmen.
There is no official record of that election that can be found;
although diligent inquiry has been made of many persons, no
one yet has been able to fix the precise date of the election.
This but shows how rapidly those little items of especial
interest to our city's history are being lost. Mr. H. Miles
Moore, who then kept and still keeps a daily journal of events,
states that his best judgment is, that the election was held on Monday, the 3d of September, 1855, as he reached here from
a trip East, on the 5th of September, and that the election had been held a few days before. The first meeting of
the City Council was held on Tuesday, the 11th of September,
1855, over J. L. Roundey's furniture store, on Main street,
east side, third lot from the corner of Delaware street. It
was the day on which the Leavenworth Town Association held
a meeting and drew four additional lots to each share. Thos.
Slocum was the first Mayor. Dr. J. H. Day, Councilman and
President of the Board. The other Councilmen (all elected
at large) were Fred Emery, M. L. Truesdell, McClelland,
Thos. H. Doyle, George Russell, Wm. T. Marvin, Dr. G.
J Park and Adam Fisher. After the Board was organized
they elected Scott J. Anthony, Register or City Clerk; Wm.
A. McDowell. City Marshal � he resigned October 17. 1855, and
J. L. Roundey was appointed in his place; William H. Baily,
City Treasury; H. G. Weibling, Assessor; John L Moore.
City Attorney; E. L. Berthoud, City Engineer, now a resident of Colorado, a captain in the late war, and the discoverer
of Berthoud's Pass through the Rocky Mountains; M. L.
Truesdell, Comptroller.
The first fire company was organized by consent of the
City Council September 17, 1855. The first city ordinance
passed September 17, 1855, was entitled: "Relating to games
of chance and skill."
Of the city officers all are dead except Dr. Day, now in
Oregon; Scott J. Anthony, a wealthy citizen of Denver; Fred
Emory, George Russell and Wm. T. Marvin now here, and E.
L. Berthoud, now of Colorado.
The names and terms of office of those who have filled
the general offices of the city from that time to the present,
are as follows:
Mayor Slocum resigned his office as Mayor and Wm. E.
Murphy was elected to fill vacancy January 21, 1856.
Wm. A. McDowell resigned as City Marshal October 17,
1855, and John L. Roundey was elected in his place to fill
vacancy.
John L. Roundey resigned as Marshal January 17, 1856,
and William Wood was elected for unexpired term, and
resigned February 25, 1856, and George A. Gery was appointed
to fill vacancy.
In September, 1856, Wm. E. Murphy was re-elected
Mayor.
September 13, 1856, the following city officers were elected
by the Council: William Perry, Register or Clerk; James
P. Bird, Treasurer; Wm. P. Shockley, City Marshal; Hugh
M. Moore, City Attorney.
March 25, 1857, William E. Murphy resigned, and on
March 30, 1857, William Perry resigned as Register.
April 1, 1857, John Gill Spivey was elected City Register
by the Council.
April 13, 1857. Henry J. Adams was elected Mayor to fill
vacancy, occasioned by the resignation of William E.
Murphy.
April 20, 1857, E. Gill Spivey, resigned as Register.
April 27, 1857, E. Magruder Lowe was elected Register
by the Council.
July 7, 1857, E. Magruder Lowe resigned as Register, and
J. C. Grreen was appointed by the Council in his stead.
September 7, 1857, Henry J. Adams was re-elected Mayor.
September 11, 1857, J. C. Green was again appointed City
Register.
September 14, 1857, John Kendall was appointed City
Marshal, and on the same day John McKee was appointed
Treasurer.
September 6, 1858, H. B. Denman was elected Mayor;
I. G. Losee, Marshal; J. C. Green, Clerk; John McKee
Treasurer; William Stanley, City Attorney.
September 5, 1859, H. B. Denman, was re-elected Mayor;
Thomas Plowman, Treasurer; George Einstein, Clerk; Livius
Hazen, Marshal; Charles W. Helm, Attorney.
September 3, 1860, James L. McDowell was elected
Mayor; Thomas Plowman, Treasurer; George Einstein,
Clerk; John McKee, Marshal; H. W. Ide, Attorney.
September 2, 1861, Warren A. Lattin was elected Mayor;
Paul Rohr, Treasurer; Otto C. Beeler, Clerk; James Jennings, Marshal ; N. H. Wood, Attorney.
April 7, 1862, H. B. Denman was elected Mayor; George
R. Hines, Treasurer; Otto C. Beeler, Clerk; James Jennings,
Marshal. W. S. Carroll was elected City Attorney by the
Council on September 16, 1862.
April 6, 1863, D. R. Anthony was elected Mayor; Thos.
Plowman, Treasurer; Henry C. Keller, Clerk; and C. B.
Pierce was appointed City Attorney April 9, 1863.
April 4, 1861, J. L. McDowell was elected Mayor; Thomas
Plowman Treasurer; Samuel J. Darrah, Clerk; J. Milton Orr,
Marshal; and Samuel S. Ludlum was appointed City Attorney April 12, 1861.
April 3, 1865, Thomas Carney was elected Mayor; John
Hosick, Treasurer; H. J. Dennis, Clerk; Charles H. Miller,
Marshal ; and E. Stillings was appointed City Attorney April
20, 1865.
April 2, 1866, Thomas Carney was re-elected Mayor; John
Hosick, Treasurer; P. H. Madden was elected Clerk; Joseph
Mackle, Marshal; and E. Stillings was re-appointed City
Attorney April 10, 1866, and resigned March 26, 1867.
Byron Sherry was appointed City Attorney March 26, 1867.
April 1, 1867, John A. Halderman was elected Mayor;
John Hosick, Treasurer; H. J. Dennis, Clerk; Joseph Mackle,
Marshal; and Willard G. Gambell was appointed City Attorney April 16, 1867.
Mr. Gambell resigned as City Attorney December 10, 1867,
and Byron Sherry was appointed City Attorney December 12,
1867.
April 7, 1868, Charles R. Morehead was elected Mayor;
Philip Koehler, Treasurer; P. H. Madden. Clerk; H.' A.
Robertson, Marshal; H. Miles Moore, Attorney.
April 5, 1870, John A. Halderman was elected Mayor;
Henry Deckelman, Treasurer; W. W. Creighton, Clerk; H. A.
Robertson, Marshal; H. Miles Moore, Attorney.
April 4, 1872. D. R. Anthony was elected Mayor; John
Kirch, Treasurer; W. W. Creighton. Clerk; D. A. Hook,
Marshal; Lucien Baker, Attorney.
April 7, 1874, J. L. Abernathy was elected Mayor, and on
May 22, 1874, A. McGahey was appointed Treasurer; F. P.
Fitzwilliam, Attorney: D. A. Hook. Marshal; W. B. Challacombe, Clerk.
F. P. Fitzwilliam resigned his office as Attorney June 16,
1874, and on the same day H. Miles Moore was appointed
City Attorney to fill vacancy.
April 6, 1875, Alex. McGahey was elected Treasurer; H.
Miles Moore, Attorney; D. A. Hook. Marshal.
April 6, 1876, Fred M. Spalding was appointed Clerk, and
the Mayor, under the law, held his office over until the April
election in 1877.
April 3, 1877, George Unmethun was elected Mayor; Fred
M. Spalding, Clerk; J. H. Gillpatrick. Attorney; Thomas
Moonlight. Marshal.
Alex. McGahey was appointed Treasurer April, 1877, and
served until July 7, 1877, when he resigned and Geo. D. Farr
was appointed Treasurer in his stead.
April 1, 1878, W. M. Fortescue was elected Mayor; Fred
M. Spalding, clerk: Thomas Moonlight, Marshal; E. L.
Carney, Attorney.
April 28, 1879, George D. Farr resigned as Treasurer, and
on the same day John McKee was appointed Treasurer in his
stead.
Fred. M. Spalding held the office of Clerk until August
18, 1879, when he was removed and H. J. Dennis was
appointed Clerk in his stead. H. J. Dennis was elected Clerk in April, 1880,
During the several terms of Messrs. Denman, Lattin, Anthony and Carney nearly all the public improvements in the
city were made. During the period covered by the time these
gentlemen occupied the Mayor's office public buildings were
erected, streets were graded and paved, sidewalks were constructed, several railroads were completed to the town, and
Leavenworth was known as the busiest, most prosperous and
most rapidly growing city in the West.
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