Lafayette County, Missouri - Chapter 6: County, State and National Representation, 1910

Chapter 6: County, State and National Representation

The object of this chapter is to give as near a complete list of the men who have filled the various county, state and national offices as is possible to compile at this date. The men who have been residents of Lafayette county who have served in the United States Congress, the state senators and state's representatives and the various county officials here follow :

Thomas P. Akers, of this county, served in the thirty-fourth Congress in 1855-56; Alexander Graves served in the forty-eighth Congress in 1883-85 ; John Welborn served in the fifty-ninth Congress in 1905-07.

County Officers

The early election records being absent, a list of those who have served as county officers from about the close of the Civil war will be here given :

Probate Judges

The office of probate judge has gone through several changes in Missouri. From 1849 to 1868 it was authorized by special legislation and was not in operation in every county, but was in Lafayette. The office became an elective office in 1868 and in 1878 the law was so changed that every county within the state had a probate judge elected at the general election with the other county officers. The following have served as probate judges in Lafayette county :

In 1850 Ed. Stratton was appointed; he was succeeded by W. H. Smallwood about the commencement of the Civil war. In 1862 Eldridge Burden was appointed in July, served until 1865 and was at that time commissioned by the governor and in 1868 (when the law was changed) was elected for a term of six years, which brought it down to 1874, when William T. Gammon was elected, serving until the election of James B. Hord, who died in office after a short time. In 1882 Xenophon Ryland was elected and served until 1890. In the last named year, William Young was elected and served until 1898. Following him came J. P. Chinn, who served from the close of Judge Young's term until January 1, 1907, when the present incumbent, Thomas A. Walker, was sworn into office.

Superintendent Of Public Schools

The state law provided for a superintendent of schools from 1866 to 1873 and then lapsed back to the old school commissioner system, which left the counties without a superintendent of their public schools until the new law was passed (mentioned in the Educational chapter), which was in 1909, since which time all counties may have their regular county school superintendents. The superintendents in the early years were as follows: 1866, A. Chinn; 1868, George K. Smith; 1870, George M. Catron, who served until 1873, when the law was repealed that created such a school office in the counties of the state. The first to be elected to this office under the new school law of 1908-9, in this county, was Homer T. Phillips, the present efficient and highly practical educator.

Presidential Vote At Various Times

While the election returns are by no means complete in the county offices of Lafayette county, it is possible to give the reader a fair idea of the political complexion of the county at critical dates in its history, as seen in the subjoined :

Constitutional Votes

The above-referred-to state constitution was voted upon by the people of the state with the limitation, or restriction, provided for in the following oath, hence was never a popular constitution, for in fact only a portion of the people of Missouri had any voice in making it :

"That I will bear true faith, loyalty and allegiance to the United States, and will not directly or indirectly give aid, or comfort, or countenance, to the enemies or opposers thereof, or of the provisional government of the state of Missouri, any ordinance, law, or resolution of any state convention or legislature, or of any order or organization, secret, or otherwise, to the contrary notwithstanding; and that I do this with a full and honest determination, pledge and purpose, faithfully to keep and perform the same, without any mental reservation or evasion whatever. And I do solemnly swear, that I have not since the 17th day of December, 1861, wilfully taken up arms, or levied war against the United States, or against the provisional government of the state of Missouri, so help me God."

This oath naturally disfranchised many of the men who would otherwise have a chance to vote on the adoption of a new constitution. The constitution was adopted by about one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two majority in the state.

Vote On The Constitution Of 1875

Hon. Henry C. Wallace, of Lexington, was state senator and represented Lafayette county at the convention which framed this constitution and the vote on the adoption, in this county, stood as follows :