USA > Iowa > Webster County > Fort Dodge > History of Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 11
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Dayton township was organized September 14, 1858. The boundaries as then fixed were all of township 86, range 28, and that part of township 86, range 27, lying west of the Des Moines river, except sections 1, 2 and 3.
Jackson township as first organized included all of township 90, ranges 29 and 30. On November 6, 1860, the county court ordered township 90, range 29, set off, and a township named Cass formed. The township Cass, however, was never organized. October 10, 1865, township 90, range 29, was by order of court detached from Jackson and named Deer Creek.
Badger township was formed from Wahkonsa by an order of the board of supervisors, October 10, 1865, and when organized contained township 90. ranges 27 and 28. Range 27 was, October 14, 1873, taken from Badger and formed Newark township. The present boundaries of Badger township are all township 90, range 28, and that part of township 90. range 29, lying west of the Des Moines river.
Fulton township was organized by an order of the board of supervisors passed September 11, 1868. It consists of all of township 88, range 30.
Lost Grove township was organized October 18, 1869, and embraces all the territory of township 86, range 29.
The original boundaries as given to Pleasant Valley, when organized Octo- ber II, 1870, were township 89, range 27, and sections 2, 3, 4, 5. 6, 9, 10, II, 14, 15, 16 and 17, township 88, range 28, and that part of section I, township
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
88, range 29, east of the Des Moines river. November 5, 1872, the board of supervisors set off township 89, range 27, giving the township its present boundaries.
The township of Elkhorn was detached from Otho by an order of the board of supervisors, October 10, 1871. It embraces all of township 88, range 29.
The township of Gowrie was organized October 10, 1871, and included all of township 86, range 30.
Colfax and Clay were organized November 5, 1872. Colfax includes all of township 89, range 27. The township of Clay embraces all of township 87, range 29.
The boundaries given to Newark township as organized October 14, 1873, were all of township 90, range 27, and these boundaries have remained unchanged.
Roland township was organized by the order of the board of supervisors October 12, 1875. Its boundaries are the same as when organized, being all of township 87, range 30.
Cooper township was organized September 6, 1877. The record of the board of supervisors, concerning the organization, is as follows: "that the territory heretofore known as Wahkonsa township be divided as follows: all that part of said township within the corporate limits of the city of Fort Dodge to constitute a separate township, and called by the name of Wahkonsa town- ship; and all that part of said township lying outside the corporate limits of said city of Fort Dodge, to constitute a separate township, to be known and called by the name of Cooper township, in accordance with a petition now before the board signed by J. B. Haviland and others."
Burnside township was organized June 16, 1886. At that time Sumner township was divided into two townships, one embraced the territory within the corporate limits of Lehigh, and so much of the Independent school district of Tyson's Mills as was included in said township, outside of said corporation. This retained the original name of Sumner. The remainder was organized as, and named Burnside.
At the present time, Webster county is divided into five supervisor dis- tricts. The first supervisor district is composed of Colfax, Newark, Washing- ton, Webster and Pleasant Valley. The second consists of Badger, Deer Creek, Douglas, Jackson and Johnson; the third of Wahkonsa and Cooper; the fourth of Gowrie, Dayton, Hardin and Lost Grove and the fifth of Burnside, Elkhorn, Fulton, Roland, Clay, Otho, Sumner and Yell.
Webster county forms the sixty-second representative district, and with other counties forms the twenty-seventh senatorial district, the eleventh judicial district and the tenth congressional districts. The twenty-seventh senatorial dis- trict consists of Webster and Calhoun counties. The eleventh judicial district consists of the counties of Webster, Boone, Story, Hamilton, Hardin, Franklin and Wright ; and has three judges, elected at large from the district. The tenth congressional district consists of fourteen counties : Webster, Calhoun, Han- ilton, Pocahontas, Humboldt, Palo Alto, Kossuth, Hancock, Emmett, Winne- bago, Crawford, Carroll, Greene and Boone.
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MAJOR WILLIAM WILLIAMS First Mayor, First Postmaster and First Citizen of Fort Dodge
CHAPTER VIII
THE COUNTY ELECTIONS
FORT DODGE IN THE NATION-WOMEN OFFICE HOLDERS-COUNTY OFFICERS- FORT DODGE IN THE NATION-WOMEN OFFICE IIOLDERS-COUNTY OFFICERS.
TIIE COUNTY ELECTIONS
If one could read between the lines of the records of the elections in Webster county, one would find many an interesting story. For into these records are woven the realizations of ambition and the disappointments of failure. The politicians were as crafty in the early fifties as they are today. The first settlers of the county were men of strong opinions. They fought for a principle, and what they thought was right, even more zealously than the present generation. Then, too, it was a time of political unrest. New ideas were constantly being pro- mulgated. New parties were being formed. Slavery was already an issue. From the first the citizens of Webster county 'have had "a genius for politics." In some of the early years, we find the record of as many as four elections being held. Webster county and Fort Dodge very early became noted as a political center. There was considerable politics in the organization of the county, as there was in the removal of the county seat to Fort Dodge. For years, John F. Duncombe was the uncrowned head of democracy in Iowa. Opposing Duncombe was Cyrus C. Carpenter, whom the republican party of the state honored with many offices. At one time there were so many Federal office holders from Fort Dodge, that it was referred to by the rest of the state as the home Federal office holders, and to Fort Dodge the outside looked for political leadership. Under the polit- ical training of Governor Carpenter, Jonathan P. Dolliver reached the United States senate and almost the presidency. His untimely death placed the political heir of himself and Governor Carpenter in the senate chamber of the United States. Thus, through the election of William S. Kenyon twice in succession, was this high office filled by Fort Dodge citizens.
The first election in Webster county was held by the order of the county judge of Boone county, Hon. Samuel McCall, April 4, 1853.
The county has gone republican every presidential campaign except in 1912. It is true that Lincoln lost the county by one vote to George B. McClellan. But this did not include the soldier vote, which voted solidly for Lincoln. At the first presidential election held in Webster county, John C. Fremont received a majority of 120 votes over Buchanan. In 1908, William H. Taft carried the county by 2,199 votes, the largest majority which a president has received in the
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
county. Woodrow Wilson, the democratic nominee, carried the county by a plurality of 100 in 1912.
At the first election for governor held in Webster county, August 7, 1854, James W. Grimes, the whig candidate, received only twenty-two votes. and Curtis Bates, the democratic nominee, nearly four times as many, or 104 votes. In 1857. B. M. Samuels, the democratic candidate, carried the county. Even Samuel J. Kirkwood, the war governor, failed to carry the county in 1859, the majority going to A. C. Dodge, a democrat. Again in 1861, Kirkwood lost this county, William II. Merritt, the democratic and Union candidate, being successful. In 1863, for the first time, the county went republican on the state ticket. This time William M. Stone, the republican nominee, carried the county by thirty-five votes. The socialist-union candidate, Thomas H. Benton, carried the county in 1865, by a majority of thirty-six. In 1867, the county again went republican, and Web- ster county gave Samuel Merrill a majority of 123 votes. Cyrus C. Carpen- ter, the nominee on the republican ticket, carried the county by 366 votes in 1871. At the next election, however, in 1873, a new party entered politics, called the antimonopoly party. Their candidate, J. G. Vale, defeated Carpen- ter in this county by fourteen votes. In 1875. Kirkwood again lost the county. the antimonopoly candidate carrying it by fourteen votes. Meanwhile, the green- back party had come into existence. In 1877, their candidate, Daniel P. Stubbs, received a majority over John P. Irish, the democratic nominee, and John H. Gear, the republican nomine, of 444 votes. But in 1879, the county gave John H. Gear, the republican candidate, a plurality over the combined forces of the democratic and greenback parties. Buren R. Sherman, candidate on the republican ticket, carried the county in 1881 by a majority of 289 votes over the democratic and greenback nominees. In 1883 he received a majority in the county of 142 votes over these nominees. However, in 1885, the democratic and greenback parties pooled their forces and their candidate, Charles Whit- ney, carried the county by a majority of seventy-nine over William Larrabee, republican. But in 1887, Larrabee carried the county by seven votes. At the elections in 1889 and 1891, the county went democratic. Horace Boies carried the county by a majority of sixty-eight votes, the first time, and by a majority of 269, the second time over William K. Wheeler. In his campaign for a third term, in 1893, Boies, however, lost the county to the republican candidate, Frank D. Jackson, who received a majority in the county of 444. In 1895. Francis M. Drake, republican, carried the county by 508 against the democrat and populist nominees. Leslie M. Shaw, republican, carried the county in 1897 by a majority of 154, as against the combined forces of democratic, populist, prohibition, na- tional democrat, and socialist labor parties. This is the first appearance of the pro- hibition and socialist labor parties in state politics. The Webster county vote for the former was 132, and six for the latter. Shaw again carried the county in 1899. At the next three state elections the county gave Albert B. Cummins, the republican candidate, big majorities. In 1908 and 1910, B. F. Carroll carried the county. In 1912, the county went democratic on the presidential ticket, and E. G. Dunn, the democratic nominee for governor, received a plurality of 149.
Webster county has had the distinction of having three congressmen and two United States senators. The first congressman was Charles Pomeroy, a farmer
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AHI.CO.
HOME OF GOVERNOR C. C. CARPENTER, FORT DODGE
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TID N FOUNDATIONS. --
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
who represented what was then the Sixth congressional district in the Forty- first congress, during the years 1869-71. Cyrus C. Carpenter represented what was then the Ninth district, and served in the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh congress from 1879 to 1883. In 1889, Jonathan P. Dolliver was first elected to congress from what had then become the Tenth congressional district, and served continuously for ten years. August 22, 1900, on the death of John H. Gear, Jonathan P. Dolliver was appointed United States senator by Governor Leslie M. Shaw, to fill the office until the legislature should meet. The Twenty- ninth general assembly in January, 1902, elected him to fill the term ending March 4. 1907. He was then reelected and served until his death, October 15, 1910. William S. Kenyon was elected by the legislature April 12, 1911, to serve until 1913. In the primary election of 1912 he defeated his opponent, Lafe Young, by a large majority.
George Roberts is the present director of the United States mint. During the campaign of 1896, when the financial question was the chief issue in politics. Mr. Roberts gained a national reputation because of his knowledge of the sub- ject shown in his reply to "Coin's Financial School." M. D. O'Connell, served as solicitor of the United States treasury department for many years.
Aside from the office of representative in congress, Cyrus C. Carpenter held several state offices. He was registrar of the state land office from 1867 to 1871. and governor of the state from 1872 to 1876.
Party lines have not been followed very closely in the election of the county officers. Personality rather than political faith has been the most important factor. It is interesting to note that a large percentage of the county officers from the close of the war to recent years, were Civil war veterans. The records show that Webster county has been blest with honest officers, only one instance being found of an absconding officer, and that was before 1859. Miss Maude Lauder- dale and Miss Mary Carey enjoy the distinction of being the only women elected to office in Webster county. Miss Lauderdale was elected recorder in 1910, and reelected in 1912. Miss Carey was appointed county superintendent in the fall of 1909. elected to the office in 1910 and reelected in 1912.
The general elections of the fifties were held on the first Monday in August. Then the elections vary between the middle of October and the first of Novem- ber. In 1884, it was fixed by law as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. At first, elections were held every year, but in 1904. a biennial election law was passed. The first primary was held June 2, 1908.
THE COUNTY ELECTIONS
April 4, 1853-County judge, William Pierce : clerk of district court. Jesse Goodrich ; recorder and treasurer. James Hook ; prosecuting attorney, George W. Hall,* John H. Cofer ;* sheriff, James Doty ; coroner. Theodorus Eslick ; school fund commissioner, John Tolman, ** Luodowic Mericle :** surveyor. George W. Hall : drainage commissioner, Daniel Gaylor: township assessor, Samuel Eslick :¡ justice of peace, John H. Cofer, John Tolman : constables, John Devore,
* Each received 28 votes.
** Each received 27 votes.
i Only on township, Washington, in entire county.
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
Charles Burkhard; township trustees, Isaac Hook, Andrew Grossclose, John Gaylor ; township clerk, Luodowic Mericle.
1854 -- No record of an election.
April 5, 1855-County judge, W. N. Meservey; prosecuting attorney, Gran- ville Berkley ; drainage commissioner, David Carrell; coroner, Alfred Gaines ; Des Moines river improvement commissioner, O. D. Tisdale ; improvement reg- ister, William Dewey ; register state land office, Stark H. Samuels.
For prohibitory law, 99; against prohibitory law, 76.
August 6, 1855-Clerk of district court (to fill vacancy ),* George Gregory ;* recorder and treasurer, William T. Woolsey ;** sheriff, William Royster ;** county judge, John D. Maxwell ;} coroner, N. L. Osborn ; surveyor, C. C. Car- penter .¿
April 7, 1856-District clerk, Henry B. Martin (to fill vacancy until August, 1856) ; school fund commissioner, John Tolman ; coroner, John Johns.
.On removing county seat from Homer to Fort Dodge, for, 407 : against, 264. Allowing stock to run at large, for, 228; against, 344.
August 5, 1856-Prosecuting attorney, Chas. B. Richards ; district clerk, S. B. Rosencrans ; representative, Elias Pocock.
For calling a constitutional convention, 299; against, 99.
Delegate to the constitutional convention of 1857, Thirty-third district. Sheldon G. Winchester.
September 22, 1856-$200,000 bond issue at ten per cent, payable in 17, 18 and 20 years, to aid Dubuque & Pacific Railroad, and tax levy for same, not to exceed one per cent of value of taxable property, voted.
April 6, 1857-County judge, Samuel Rees ;§ clerk of district court, W. E. Brooks ; recorder and treasurer, William Burkholder :§§ sheriff, John W. Brady ; surveyor, F. B. Drake ; drainage commissioner, Adam Messmore ; county assessor, Lewis Davis.
August 3, 1857-County judge, Luther L. Pease; sheriff, John W. Brady ; recorder and treasurer, Ambrose Carpenter ; surveyor, Albert Morrison : coroner, William Hodges; drainage commissioner, Thomas Landreth.
For the adoption of the new constitution, 142; against, 264.
For striking the word "white" out of the article on the right of suffrage, 63; against, 330.
October 13. 1857-Recorder and treasurer, Erastus G. Morgan ; surveyor.
* Caused by death of Francis Eslick.
** Elections contested and cases tried October 3, and 4, before Judge Meservey. with whom II. G. Pemberton and Roscio Royster sat as associates. Contest on grounds of legality of votes of Boon township. The court held these votes legal, Royster dissenting. This de- cision gave the office of clerk to L. D. C. Maggart and that of sheriff to E. H. West. The contest for the office of recorder and treasurer, instituted by Benjamin McPheeter was com- promised, each paying one-half the cost, and William T. Woolsey retaining the office. October 24, 1855, Woolsey made George T. Gregory his deputy, and upon Woolsey resigning the office, August 4, 1856, Gregory was appointed in his place. L. D. C. Maggart absconded and William Royster was appointed to fill the vacancy January 1, 1856.
John D. Maxwell elected but decided that office was not vacant and W. N. Meservey held over.
# Resigned March 4, 1857. Francis E. Beers appointed to fill. vacancy.
§ Resigned August 3, 1857.
§§ Elected recorder and treasurer after his death. Erastus G. Morgan appointed to serve until October election, 1857.
ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL, FORT DODGE Built in 1908 and dedicated March 21, 1909, by Bishop Garrigan
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
James Gilchrist ; drainage commissioner, Thomas Flaherty; coroner, Benjamin F. Brown; representative, Cyrus C. Carpenter.
For license law, 407 ; against, 72.
Special election, first Monday, April, 1858-County superintendent, S. B. Olney .*
Special election, June 28, 1858-For general banking law, 225; against, 49. For state bank of Iowa, 291 ; against, 24.
October 2, 1858 Clerk of district court, William P. Logan; surveyor, Henry W. Ringland; drainage commissioner, Thomas White; coroner, John M. Heffley. (resigned March 24, 1860).
October 11. 1859-County judge, William N. Meservey; treasurer and recorder, E. G. Morgan; sheriff, John W. Brady; coroner, Walter Goodrich ; drainage commissioner, J. R. Paine ; surveyor, John S. Jenkins ; county super- intendent, Albert Morrison : representative, Samuel Rees.
Special election, October 19, 1859-Bond issue voted September 22, 1856, rescinded. For, 396; against, 42.
Special election, May 14, 1860-For bond issue, 171; against, 289. For building bridges, 113; against, 347.
Special election, September 24, 1860-For bond issue, 288; against, 239.
November 6, 1860-Clerk of district court, J. II. Holloway; coroner, J. F. Beyers ; board of supervisors (for two years ),; Gasper T. Richey, John Garaghty, Adam Groshart, S. K. Barnes, Richard Vancleave ( for one year) ;} T. F. Frisk, Walter Goodrich, S. G. Stevens, N. HI. Hart, R. P. Furlong, Daniel Daniels.
October 8, 1861-County judge, L. M. Olcott ; treasurer and recorder, Isaac Garmoe; sheriff, John Heffley; county superintendent, L. S. Coffin; drainage commissioner, Norman P. Ellis; coroner, B. B. Goodrich ;} surveyor, Virgil Moore ;** representative, G. T. Richey ; board of supervisors, N. H. Hart, Walter Goodrich, L. S. Coffin, Daniel Daniels, Jonathan Milburn, Thomas White.
October 14, 1862§-Clerk of district court, Hezekiah Beecher; coroner, William Hodges; surveyor, John W. Brady (one year to fill vacancy) ; county superintendent, E. N. Wilson ;§§ drainage commissioner, H. L. Walker ; board of supervisors, S. K. Barnes, Miles Allen, Patrick Condon, Thomas Sargent, E. A. Scott.
October, 1863'|-County judge, John L. Cheney; recorder and treasurer, Isaac Garmoe; sheriff, A. F. Blackshere; surveyor, John S. Jenkins; county superintendent, R. E. Carpenter ; coroner, B. F. Allison ; drainage commissioner, John Been; board of supervisors, Daniel Daniels, H. M. Case, Jolin Ware, N. H. Hart, Michael Morrisey, A. S. White.
For restraining hogs from running at large, 237; against, 191. For building bridges, 158; against, 249.
* Seven candidates in the field, and vote was as follows: S. B. Olney, 372; Francis Drake, 2; Fred Boot, 12; John Garaghty, 10; C. C. Philbrook, 187; Thomas Cole, 21.
** S. B. Olney resigned February 1, 1859, and A. M. Dawley appointed to fill vacancy. t Terms fixed at first meeting of board.
# Resigned September 1, 1862, and A. F. Blackshere appointed.
§ Soldier vote was included in the first canvass of the returns of this election.
§§ Wilson received 277 votes and E. H. Blain 234-Board of Supervisors held that under Sec. 62, Chap. 172, Acts of 9th G. A. no election could take place for this office.
|| Board met October 19, 1863, and canvassed the home vote and then adjourned to await the return of the soldier vote.
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
November 8, 1864-Clerk of district court, R. E. Carpenter ; county recorder, John L. Cheyney ; county surveyor, Thomas Harlan ; board of supervisors, John Wilson, Josiah Conlee, C. C. Carter, G. T. Richey, A. Graves.
Restraining swine from running at large, for, 408; against, 181.
October 10, 1865-County treasurer, Jared Fuller ; sheriff, A. F. Blackshere ; county judge, Isaac Young; county superintendent, E. N. Wilson ; surveyor, Thomas Harlan; coroner, John F. Beyers; drainage commissioner, Robert Scott ; board of supervisors, John Linn, B. B. Goodrich, D. W. Prindle, Charles W. Maher, D. C. Russell.
Giving board power to increase tax, for, 392; against, 269.
Granting a bounty to soldiers, for, 382; against, 301.
October 9, 1866-Clerk district court, Wilson Lumpkin; recorder, D. HI. Taylor; board of supervisors, N. H. Hart, C. C. Carter, D. W. Prindle, Josiah Conlee, George March. John Jameson. Joel L. Clark, John L. Kinney (appointed to fill vacancy).
October 8, 1867-Treasurer, Jonathan Hutchinson; county judge. James R. Strow; surveyor, George S. Killam; county superintendent, D. A. Weller ; coroner, Francis Brewer; sheriff, Jacob Walz; drainage commissioner, Daniel WV. Prindle ; board of supervisors, Josiah Conlee, Joel Clark, Jolin L. Kinney. C. WV. Maher, N. H. Hart, Charles Erickson, F. P. Calkins, Henry Cox.
November 3, 1868-Clerk district court, Wilson Lumpkin; county recorder, David H. Taylor; board of supervisors, John L. Kinney, George Marsh. D. W. Prindle, C. C. Smeltzer, Stephen Reckard, J. B. Scott, Patrick Condon.
Note-At this election five amendments to the constitution were voted upon. All of them concerned the striking out of the word "white," from the several articles of the constitution. Amendment I gave the right of suffrage to all males. Amendment 2 required that the state census should include all inhabitants. Amendments 3 and 4 concern senatorial and representative districts, and made the basis of population, constituting such districts; to include all inhabitants. Amendment 5 gave the right of service in the militia to all able bodied citizens.
Amendent
One
Two Three
Four
Five
For
694
691
691
691
691
Against
582
582
582
582
582
October 12, 1869-Representative, Galusha Parsons; auditor. Wilson Lump- kin; treasurer, Jonathan Hutchinson; sheriff, Jacob Walz; county superin- tendent, Rev. J. M. Phillips ; surveyor, George S. Killam ; coroner, Elias Caldwell ; board of supervisors, H. P. Cutting, G. A. Erickson, Preston Van Cleave. F. E. Scofield. F. P. Calkins. J. P. Lilygren, C. W. Maher. J. H. Williams.
Bonding the county, for, 480; against, 624.
October II, 1870-Recorder, D. H. Taylor; clerk of district court. Wilson Lumpkin ; board of supervisors, L. M. Pratt, E. N. Wilson, William B. Crandall.
Prohibitory amendment, for, III; against, 23I.
Increasing number of board of supervisors, for, 579; against, 338.
October 10, 1871-Sheriff, E. V. Moore; county superintendent, Frank Far- rell; treasurer, Jonathan Hutchinson; representative. John F. Duncombe ; aud-
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ALBERT MORRISON Early land agent and surveyor of Fort Dodge
A. S. WHITE Publisher of "Fort Dodge Sentinel," the first newspaper
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY
itor, J. B. Scott; surveyor. M. E. Smith ; coroner, S. B. Olney; board of super- visors, David Lundeen, H. Beecher, J. L. Brown.
Prohibitory amendment, for, 493; against, 643.
Increasing county tax, for. 159; against, 999.
November 5. 1872-Recorder, A. Beach ; clerk of district court, Wilson Lump- kin : board of supervisors, L. M. Pratt.
Authorizing purchase of poor farm, for. 677; against. 273.
October 14. 1873-Representative, Silas Corey; treasurer, Jonathan Hutch- inson; auditor, J. B. Scott : sheriff, E. V. Moore ; county superintendent, Frank Farrell ; surveyor, Fred Hess; coroner. W. L. Nicholson ; board of supervisors, D. S. Coughlon, C. Knudson.
Increasing county tax, for, 100; against, 1159.
October 13, 1874-Clerk of district court, M. H. Bliss; sheriff, E. London; recorder, Jared Fuller ; coroner. John McNulty ; supervisor district No. 3, N. H. Hart : supervisor district No. 4. John Gabrielson.
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