William G. Grimes was born near Lexington, Ohio on November 6, 1857. At age 20 he moved to Nebraska where he was in the newspaper business and owned a mercantile business. He was elected sheriff of Johnson County, Nebraska and after that moved to Kingfisher in 1898, shortly before the land run. He became a major republican leader in Oklahoma Territory and served as a United States Marshall. He laid the foundation for establishing a system of law and order in a lawless environment. He was later appointed by President McKinley as Secretary of the Territory. He was Governor of the Territory for the shortest duration, having served from November 30, 1901 until December 9, 1901, only 10 days. He moved to Oregon and then to California where he died at Santa Monica on April 8, 1931. He is buried there.
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Ann Maloney, Bartlesville, OK.
Copyright © 1998 Ann Maloney all rights reserved.