Sheriffs and undersheriffs of Shawnee County
Topeka Cemetery has added a new self-guided tour to the grounds to introduce visitors to 23 sheriffs and undersheriffs, many from Topeka’s earliest history. A poster with information about each has been placed at their gravesites.
Read on to learn more about these law enforcement icons. A map at the end shows the locations of their graves.
James B. Whittaker
Fourth sheriff: March 23, 1857 – Nov. 29, 1857
Born: Feb. 21, 1832 Died: April 24, 1899
Burial Location: Section 14 Lot 26
James B. Whitaker was born Feb. 21, 1832 in Boston. He attended public schools until the age of 14 when he took a job with the New York & Boston Air Line Railroad. Whitaker was employed with a surveying crew for the railroad and, showing an aptitude for the work, was encouraged by his employers to attend Brown University at Providence, R.I., to pursue a degree in civil engineering.
In March 1856, Whitaker moved to Cairo, Ill., and became an assistant city engineer. Just two months later, Whitaker moved to Kansas, where he settled in Tecumseh and set up a business as a surveyor.
Although he was running a successful business as a surveyor, Whitaker accepted appointment as sheriff of Shawnee County on March 23, 1857. He was appointed deputy U.S. marshal at about the same time. Whitaker served as sheriff of Shawnee County until Nov. 30, 1857, when Jehial Tyler took office.
Whitaker remained in Topeka after his term as sheriff and served as the Shawnee County surveyor, an elected position, from Nov. 5, 1861 to Nov. 2, 1869. Whitaker also served as city engineer for Topeka and as street commissioner.
In 1858, James B. Whitaker married Jane V. Close of Auburn, N.Y., and raised four children in Topeka: James Edgar Whitaker, Francis Leslie Whitaker, Frederick Holland Whitaker, and Kittie Whitaker.
Jehial Tyler
Fifth sheriff: Nov. 30, 1857 – March 1859
Born: Sept. 1, 1827 Died: July 9, 1909
Burial Location: Section 42, Lot 7
Jehial Tyler was born in New York on Sept. 1, 1827. Tyler moved to southeastern Iowa and got involved in farming. He married Cynthia Ann Morgan on April 3, 1849, in Washington County, Iowa. In October 1854, the Tylers came with their first born child and settled in Tecumseh in the Kansas Territory.
Tyler quickly established himself in the Tecumseh community and Shawnee County. In September 1857 he was nominated at the first Free State party convention held in Brownsville (now Auburn) and became the first elected sheriff of Shawnee County. It was later determined that territorial law dictated that the positions of sheriff, surveyor, and register of deeds were appointive and not elective positions.
In late November 1857, Tyler was appointed sheriff of Shawnee County by acting territorial Gov. Frederick P. Stanton. Tyler replaced James B. Whitaker, whose nomination was withdrawn from the Democratic Party’s election slate. Tyler served a total of 16 months and completed his service in March 1859, replaced by Thomas Maires.
Tyler and family then moved to southwestern Jefferson County to a community in Kaw Township known as Kaw City, which became Grantville in 1866.
In October 1864, Jehial Tyler answered the call to arms when Confederate Gen. Sterling Price was roaring through Missouri on a quest to loot Fort Leavenworth. Tyler was a lieutenant in Company C of the 2nd Kansas Militia, a group of men from Tecumseh. They were among the many companies tasked to Jackson County, Mo., for what would be known as the Battle of the Blue for its proximity to the Big Blue River.
After the war, Grantville was prospering with around 25 residents, 14 dwellings, two church buildings, a two-story stone schoolhouse and three blacksmiths. In 1871, Tyler opened up a drug and grocery store in his residence to serve the community and area needs of rural residents and to supplement his farming interests.
In March 1879, Jehial and Cynthia moved with their daughter Clara and her new husband, J.F. Stitt, to northern Butler County, Lincoln Township. The Tylers also lived in El Dorado and later on a farm outside Americus (Lyon County).
The Tylers had four children; Alonzo M. Tyler, born 1852 (Iowa); Clara Tyler, born 1858; Franklin W. Tyler, born 1866; and Anna B. Tyler, born 1870. Frank Tyler, a longtime editor of the Hutchinson and Dodge City newspapers, became a police officer in 1923 for Hutchinson Police Department. Officer Frank Tyler served as desk sergeant and detective before becoming a police judge in 1929.
Jehial Tyler died of Bright’s disease on July 9, 1909. He was living with the Stitts in the Oakland area of Topeka. He was buried in the Stitt family plot in Topeka Cemetery. Cynthia died in 1921 and was buried beside her husband.
Charles C. Whiting
Eighth sheriff: Jan. 11, 1864 – Jan. 12, 1868
Born: Feb. 26, 1837 Died: Jan. 2, 1870
Burial location: Section 14, Lot 20
Charles C. Whiting was born Feb. 26, 1837, in Fryeburg, Maine, a son of Abiel Frye Whiting, a house carpenter. Whiting came to Topeka with his father in 1855, and they were employed in building some of the first houses in Topeka.
Charles Whiting was elected constable of Topeka Township in 1858. He also was referred to as a deputy under Sheriff Thomas Maires. A newspaper article in 1859 credited Whiting with tracking down and apprehending a man accused of murder.
In 1863, he won the race for sheriff of Shawnee County over several others, including undersheriff James A. Hickey. Two years later, Whiting was elected to a second term.
Whiting was active in many events around Topeka in the 1860s, including his competition in a sulky race at the Topeka Fair Grounds. The purse was said to exceed $30,000. The drivers were not to weigh less than 128 pounds without carrying a handicap weight. Whiting weighed in at 129½ pounds. Whiting served as city councilman and recorder for Topeka.
After serving as sheriff, Whiting was appointed U.S. marshal, Kansas District, by President Andrew Johnson, on March 7, 1867. Whiting resigned from that office during protests that occurred when one of Whiting’s deputies killed a friendly Pawnee chief.
During his tenure as U.S. marshal, Whiting became good friends with James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, a deputy U.S. marshal. Hickok visited Topeka and served for a short time as a scout for the Topeka Cavalry in 1868.
As carpenters, Whiting and his father also made caskets and had an undertaking business. A.F. Whiting was a signer of the original charter creating Topeka Cemetery in 1859.
Charles Whiting fell ill with pneumonia and died Jan. 2, 1870, at the age of 32.
Sherman A. Bodwell
Ninth sheriff: Jan. 13. 1868 – Jan. 9, 1870
Born: Aug. 3, 1835 Died: Sept. 12, 1871
Burial location: Section 22, Lot 26
Sherman Bodwell was born Aug. 3, 1835, in Chardon, Ohio, a son of Anson Green Bodwell, a furniture maker and farmer.
In 1856, Sherman and his brother, the Rev. Lewis Bodwell arrived in Topeka from New Haven, Conn. Lewis Bodwell was a Presbyterian minister, while Sherman was a member of the Congregational Church. In 1857, their parents and siblings moved to Topeka.
Sherman Bodwell joined the Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Aug. 23, 1862, as a private and was promoted to first sergeant the next month and to 2nd lieutenant that December. Bodwell suffered a severe leg wound in a skirmish in southwest Missouri. Lt. Bodwell’s military unit also fought in the Price Raid in October 1864.
In 1867, Bodwell called upon his former comrades in arms to support him in his campaign for sheriff of Shawnee County. Chester Thomas Jr. was narrowly defeated in the election by a vote of 615 to 634.
Bodwell declined to run for a second term and went to work for the U.S. Post Office.
Bodwell was killed Sept. 12, 1871, on the northeast corner of 6th and Kansas avenues when he stepped off the sidewalk into the path of a drunken man on an uncontrolled running horse. Bodwell was knocked to the ground and regained consciousness for only a brief time before passing away later that evening.
Chester Thomas Jr.
10th sheriff: Jan. 10, 1870 – Jan. 11, 1874
14th sheriff: Jan. 14, 1884 – Jan. 10, 1886
Born: April 10, 1837 Died: Aug. 15, 1888
Burial location: Section 42, Lot 55
Chester Thomas Jr. was born April 10, 1837, in Troy, Bradford County, Pa. His father was sheriff of Bradford County in 1851.
Chester Thomas Jr. began his career as a soldier at age 19 in the Engineer Corps, serving in Minnesota in 1856. Chester Thomas Sr. moved his family to Kansas in 1869. Chester Jr. was employed as an express messenger driving a coach from St. Joseph, Mo., and later from Atchison, Kan., to Denver, Salt Lake City and points in California. The routes took Thomas through unsettled Indian Territory and exposed him to many dangers. Records show that Thomas made 80 trips across the plains during his employment. He drove the first Major & Russell Stage Line coach to cross the Plains.
During the Civil War years, Thomas worked for the Major & Russell Stage Line in stations at Denver and Central City, Colo. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Chester Thomas Jr. as captain and commissary of substance with headquarters in Denver.
After the war, Thomas returned to Pennsylvania and married Lorenia Lindley. He returned to Shawnee County in 1866 and settled on a farm near Wakarusa.
Thomas ran for sheriff in 1867 and narrowly lost to Sherman Bodwell. He ran again in 1869 and won, defeating James A. Hickey by a margin of 922 to 388. Thomas then was elected for a second term.
In 1876, Thomas was elected treasurer of Shawnee County and began a second term in that office in 1878.
In 1883, Thomas again ran for sheriff and defeated Michael Heery, Horace E. Bush and J.A. McCall. Thomas declined to run for another term in 1885.
In 1887, Thomas was in poor health, but served as secretary of the State Fair Association. During his tenure, an amphitheater seating 20,000 – one of the largest in the nation – was built.
Thomas died Aug. 15, 1888, at the age of 51. At his funeral, said to be the largest in Topeka to that time, the Rev. F.S. McCabe said, “Mr. Thomas was in many respects a fair representative of the early settlers of Kansas.”
Spencer P. Wade
11th sheriff: Jan. 12, 1874 – Jan. 13, 1878
Born: Feb. 11, 1840 Died: Feb. 24, 1908
Burial information: Section 60, Lot 4
Spencer P. Wade was born Feb. 11, 1840, in La Salle County, Ill., the son of William B. and Caroline Burbank Wade. At the age of 14, Wade moved with his mother and father to Kansas and filed a claim on a homestead near Meriden in Jefferson County. After two years spent improving the homestead, William Wade was elected to the Territorial Legislature and helped to construct the constitution for the new state.
In 1857, the Wade family moved to the northwest corner of what is now Tecumseh Township in Shawnee County.
Spencer Wade enlisted in Company E, 11th Kansas Infantry on Aug. 19, 1862, and served that unit as a commissary sergeant until the end of the war.
In November 1873, his party nominated Wade as candidate for sheriff. Wade defeated Thomas Welch by a margin of 2,129 votes to 1,090 votes. During the election of 1875, Wade faced J.L. Price and defeated Price 1,985 to 412.
As sheriff, Wade held a good reputation and the public was pleased with his service until a series of jailbreaks began. At the time, the jail was in the basement of the courthouse on the southwest corner of 4th and Kansas. The basement was just a few feet below grade, so jail windows were accessible from the sidewalk. A person on the sidewalk could converse with an inmate or hand them anything that would fit through the bars.
During this time, Sam Lappin, a state treasurer jailed for embezzlement, escaped from the Shawnee County jail. The explanation for the first escape was that Lappin had soaped himself and squeezed through the bars. This explanation was not accepted by the public because Lappin weighed an estimated 235 pounds. It was observed that not even his head would fit between the bars.
This was just the beginning of many jailbreaks that continued until authorities learned more about preventing them. In the meantime, Wade was held responsible for the lack of security at the jail.
Wade died in Topeka, Kansas at the age of 68, Feb. 24, 1908.
Willis D. Disbrow
12th sheriff: Jan. 14, 1878 – Jan. 8, 1882
Born: Feb. 15, 1836 Died: June 27, 1900
Burial location: Section 25, Lot 2
Willis D. Disbrow was born in Ohio in 1836 and came to Shawnee County in 1858 and settled in Auburn Township. That year, Disbrow enlisted in the 6th Kansas Cavalry Regiment and was quickly promoted to commissary sergeant. After the war’s end, Disbrow was mustered out of the Union Army in DeVall’s Bluff, Ark.
Disbrow was employed by Shawnee County as a deputy, undersheriff and jailor for several years under different sheriffs before he was elected for his own terms as sheriff. Disbrow served as jailor during the time that the many jailbreaks occurred, including the escape of Dr. Samuel Ashmore, who had been charged with the murder of his wife and was free for more than a year before being recaptured. During that escape, a single inmate remained behind, saying he didn’t need to escape because he was innocent of the charges against him.
The serving sheriff took the brunt of the blame for the jailbreaks, even though Disbrow was on duty.
In November 1877, Disbrow won his first term as sheriff by defeating J.A. Polley, 1,441 votes to 836. In November 1879, Disbrow won his second term, again defeating Polley, 1,955 to 830 votes. There is no record that Polley ever ran for sheriff again.
Disbrow and his wife, Mary S., had four children, Eva Lillian, who lived just eight months after her birth in January 1875; Harry E. Disbrow, who was born 1876 and died in 1942; Homer M. Disbrow, born June 2, 1881, and lived a year; and Ana Gertrude Disbrow, who was born in 1883 and died 1921.
Mary S. Disbrow drew a pension from Willis’ Civil War service and died Oct. 18, 1915.
Andrew M. Fuller
15th sheriff: Jan. 11, 1886 – Jan. 12, 1890
Born: Nov. 26, 1844 Died: June 12, 1920
Burial location: Section 37, Lot 8
Andrew M. Fuller was born in Oquawka, Henderson County, Ill., to John M. and Malinda Morris Fuller. Fuller volunteered to serve in Company F, 10th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and fought in several engagements throughout the Civil War and was mustered out in July 1865.
At the end of the war, Fuller began work as a farm implement salesman. He eventually was employed by the Moline Plow Co., and his sales area included Kansas, southern Nebraska and northern Missouri. He decided to settle down in Topeka and opened an agricultural implement and carriage business.
In 1881, Fuller was elected treasurer for the city of Topeka and served one year in that capacity. One of Fuller’s social activities was captain of the Flambeau Club, a drill team of men who carried torches in nighttime parades and executed marching maneuvers with them. Topeka’s Flambeau Club traveled to Chicago, Denver, and other cities to perform, in addition to entertaining Topeka’s citizens.
Fuller was elected sheriff of Shawnee County in the November 1885 election and served two terms. During both terms, Sheriff Fuller employed Willis D. Disbrow (a former sheriff) as undersheriff, William H. Gill as jailor, and Alfred A. Kuykendall as deputy. Kuykendall also served under Sheriff John M. Wilkerson for two terms.
After serving as sheriff, Fuller was appointed chief of police for the city, after which he became a ticket agent for the C.R.I. & P.R.R. railway company.
David N. Burdge
17th sheriff: Jan. 8, 1894 – Jan. 12, 1896
Born: Oct. 4, 1849 Died: Oct. 20, 1908
Burial location: Section 70, Lot 129
David N. Burdge was born in Ohio in 1850, the son of a farmer, Joseph Burdge. When the Burdges moved to Menoken Township, Shawnee County after the Civil War, David Burdge and his brother Joseph became teachers in the public schools.
David Burdge taught in the Auburn schools. He married a former student, Florence Ashly Dyche, in 1879. They had two daughters, Pearl and Agnes.
In 1885, Burdge began serving a total of four years as the elected Topeka city clerk. As Burdge ended his tenure as city clerk, the Burdge family moved into 407 Woodlawn in the newly incorporated Potwin Place. Burdge’s wife, Florence, purchased the home from the Barnett family who were moving to California. Burdge then became the clerk for Potwin Place, serving in that capacity until he began as undersheriff for Sheriff John M. Wilkerson in 1892 and 1893.
In 1893, Burdge won the election as sheriff of Shawnee County by a comfortable margin. He received 2,993 votes, with his closest competitor, Samuel Kerr, receiving only 759 votes.
During his two-year term of office, Burdge enjoyed the reputation of being especially efficient and diligent in his prosecution of bootleggers and jointists (saloon keepers). When Burdge stood for election for a second term, the bootleggers and their patrons united to defeat Burdge in the November 1895 election.
Robert B. Kepley
18th sheriff: Jan. 13, 1896 – Jan. 9, 1898
Born: March 21, 1861 Died: April 23, 1912
Burial location: Section 66, Lot 6
Robert Bailey Kepley was born March 22, 1861, in Bourbon County, making him the first sheriff of Shawnee County to be born in Kansas. After moving to Topeka in 1883, Kepley and Mamie Foster were married in 1886 in Bourbon County.
Kepley was a successful contractor and builder in Topeka and other Kansas towns, and was as a member of the State Board of Public Works for two years.
In November 1895, Kepley defeated incumbent Sheriff David Burdge by a vote of 4,020 to 3,670. Sheriff Kepley wasn’t overly zealous in pursuing bootleggers and illegal jointists and this resulted in his defeat for re-election in 1897. Porter S. Cook defeated Kepley in an even more narrow vote than 1895 – 4,888 to 4,762.
Kepley hired an attorney to contest the election, holding that the election board counted out 264 votes that should have been counted for Kepley. The District Court ruled that Porter S. Cook won, but only by 100 votes.
Robert Kepley ran a third time for sheriff in 1899, but was soundly defeated by the incumbent Cook by nearly 2,000 votes.
Robert Bailey Kepley died April 23, 1912, in Shawnee County.
Porter S. Cook
19th sheriff: Jan. 10, 1898 – Jan. 11, 1903
Born: Jan. 13, 1842 Died: Sept. 30, 1925
Burial location: Section 51, Lot 37
Porter S. Cook was born in Pennsylvania in 1842. He married Alwilda Derickson, and they had one daughter, Nonie, before coming to Kansas in 1869. In 1875, the Cook family was farming in the Dover Township, but by 1880, they were on a farm in Mission Creek in Wabaunsee County.
Cook sold his farm and moved to Topeka, opening a livery stable. He operated the livery stable until he ran for sheriff of Shawnee County in 1887. Cook defeated Robert B. Kepley on Nov. 6, 1897, by a narrow margin, 4,888 votes to 4,762. Kepley contested the election results, but Cook prevailed and took office in January 1898.
In 1899, Cook again faced Kepley in the sheriff’s election. This time, Cook won with a comfortable margin of 3,967 votes to Kepley’s 2,099.
During this term of office, the Legislature changed the general election years from odd numbered years to even numbered years, giving Cook a three-year term instead of the normal two-year term.
During his tenure, Cook had occasion to host saloon smasher Carrie Nation in his jail. She was arrested while demolishing the Senate Saloon on Kansas Avenue. “Mr. Cook was sheriff and I was treated very nicely by him and Mrs. Cook,” the temperance crusader reported. “Mrs. Cook’s mother was visiting them at this time, a woman thoroughly in sympathy with my work, and I believe that the influence of this good woman was the cause of my being treated so well, for after she left things were very different.”
Albertus T. Lucas
20th sheriff: Jan. 12, 1903 – Jan. 13, 1907
Born: July 26, 1867 Died: May 22, 1911
Burial location: Section 76, Lot 24
Albertus T. Lucas was born in Brimfield, Perio County, Ill., on July 26, 1867. He moved with his family to a farm in Mission Township in Shawnee County in 1868. The Lucas family moved to Auburn Township then to Topeka in 1880, so that John E. Lucas, Albertus’ father, could work for the city.
Albertus married Mary Miller Jan. 27, 1896, in Topeka and they had one child, Helen. Lucas worked in a livery stable for eight years and then was employed by A.T. Wells Fargo & Co. Express for four years. His first experience in law enforcement was as deputy sheriff in 1897 and 1898 under Sheriff Porter S. Cook.
Lucas ran for his first term as sheriff in 1902 and won the office over three other candidates. Lucas received 5,169 votes, with his nearest competitor, F.M. Stahl, receiving 3,884 votes. Lucas ran again in 1904 and received 5,046 votes while Darrel Marken, the Democratic candidate, received 1,746 votes.
One of the challenges to Lucas’ leadership was the flood of 1903, which killed 38 people and destroyed thousands of homes in North Topeka, downtown North Topeka and Garfield Park, which then was the premier amusement park in the area. Lucas and his staff were called out both for rescues and to quell looting.
Lucas ordered the many deputies he had out patrolling the flooded areas in boats to “shoot down any persons found plundering.” The Topeka State Journal of June 2, 1903, stated: “It is only by making an example of a few of the supposed thieves that North Topeka can be protected.”
Although the governor pondered declaring martial law, local authorities convinced him that Lucas had the situation under control.
Jonathan D. Norton
22nd sheriff: July 13, 1909 – Jan. 12, 1913
Born: Oct. 22, 1841 Died: Aug. 1, 1922
Burial location: Section 69, Lot 1
Jonathan Dorr Norton was born Oct. 22, 1841, a son of Washington A. and Caroline Harper Norton in Harpersfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Norton received his education in Cleveland, Ohio.
When the Civil War broke out, Norton’s brothers enlisted, but Jonathan was rejected for active service because he had lost the use of an eye in an accident. Norton was accepted by the Ohio National Guard and rose to the rank of colonel, commanding the 16th Regiment.
Norton was chief clerk and cashier for the Cleveland & Toledo Railroad for eight years and was also a member of the Ohio State Senate for two years before moving to Topeka in September 1887 to work for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in the Treasury Department.
Norton married Ada Sheffield of Napoleon, Ohio, on Dec. 24, 1863. They had five children in Ohio who survived childhood. The youngest, Ralph H. Norton, moved to Topeka with them, the others having begun careers in other cities.
Norton was a highly respected businessman in Topeka and was active in many civic affairs, including six years’ service as a member of the Topeka Board of Education. When Sheriff John M. Wilkerson was forced to resign from office in July 1909, Norton was appointed by Gov. Walter R. Stubbs to serve the remainder of Wilkerson’s term of office. Because of Norton’s excellent reputation, the newspapers and citizens applauded the appointment.
In November 1910, Norton was elected sheriff, defeating W.E. Schlichter by 5,767 votes to 4,602. At the time, sheriffs were limited to two terms of office and the partial term Norton served counted, making Norton ineligible to run again.
Undersheriffs
James A. Hickey
First undersheriff:
for Hale, Jan. 9, 1860 – Jan. 10, 1864
for Bodwell, Jan. 13, 1868 – Jan. 9, 1870
for Bush, Nov. 12, 1883 – Jan. 13, 1884
Born: Oct. 28, 1833 Died: June 2, 1913
Burial location: Section 14, Lot 1
James A. Hickey came to Kansas from Vermont and was one of the charter members of the Topeka Town Association. He also was the last survivor of the contingent of 300 people who came to Kansas Territory in 1854 with the Emigrant Aid Society from New York.
Henry C. Lindsey
Second undersheriff
for Thomas, Jan. 10, 1870 – Jan. 11, 1874
Born: Aug. 27, 1844 Died: Jan.3, 1927
Burial location: Section 10, Lot 5
After serving as undersheriff, Henry Lindsey became architect for the city of Topeka. An attempt was made to charge him with corruption regarding the letting of the contract, but, according the newspaper, “the state was utterly unable to make a case against him.”
The prosecutor in the case was Charles Curtis, who would become U.S. vice president.
William C. “Cary” Gilpatrick
Third undersheriff
for Wade, Jan. 12, 1874 – Jan. 13, 1878
Born: Aug. 3, 1836 Died: March 30, 1898
Burial location: Section 15, Lot 5
William C. Gilpatrick died in a buggy accident the newspaper described as spectacular. Gilpatrick was driving a buggy and turned onto a street where another buggy was traveling. Gilpatrick moved his carriage over, but the other driver didn’t yield. The collision tipped the buggy and set Gilpatrick’s horse loose, and he chased it down, suffering a heart attack in the process.
The other buggy driver fled the scene.
John A. McCall
Fourth undersheriff
for Disbrow, Jan. 14, 1878 – Jan. 8, 1882
Born: Sept. 8, 1845 Died: July 28, 1920
Burial Location: Section 56, Lot 19
John A. McCall came to Topeka in 1872. After serving as undersheriff, he worked as a contractor and built the county jail and worked on the central portion of the Statehouse, among other buildings.
McCall invented an elevator to carry building materials aloft. He was a member of one of the local flambeau clubs and patented an addition to the flambeau torch that allowed the torch bearer to shoot, on cue, a powder into the flame that created a rainbow of colored sparks.
In retirement he worked as a jailor.
Frederick N. Miller
Fifth undersheriff
for Bush, Jan. 9, 1882 – Nov. 11, 1883
Born: Aug. 26, 1844 Died: Aug. 31, 1907
Burial Location: Section 4, Lot 8
The sheriff’s election in 1881 was contested by the losing candidate, who claimed that before the primary candidates were bribed to drop out of the race in favor H.E. Bush. Frederick Miller was among those who reportedly was paid to step back and throw his support to Bush.
Miller was appointed undersheriff on Bush’s first day in office.
The suit was brought by John A. McCall, who was undersheriff immediately prior to that election.
William Holis “Hall” Williams
10th undersheriff
for Cook, Jan. 10, 1898 – Jan. 11, 1903
Born: Dec. 12, 1854 Died: Aug. 2, 1944
Burial location: Section 90, Lot 176
When voter registration opened in January 1902, Hall Williams was the first man to put his name on the rolls, and his daughter Maud was the first woman to sign up that year.
At that time, voters registered every year. While Maud Williams couldn’t vote in statewide elections, women in Kansas got the right to vote in local elections in 1879.
John E. Lucas
12th undersheriff
for Albertus Lucas, April 7, 1905 – Jan. 13, 1907
Born: Nov. 15, 1842 Died: Sept. 18, 1914
Burial location: Section 45, Lot 7
In 1900, while working as a police officer, J.E. Lucas was shot while trying to apprehend a man who was beating a horse. The suspect was well known as a “bad man,” but others came to the suspect’s assistance and Lucas was beaten and fell to the ground. He drew his gun, but it was taken from him.
His wounds were serious, but not fatal.
At the time he served as undersheriff, it was common for law enforcement to take the train from Topeka when called for duty to Silver Lake or Rossville.
Josiah Ross Sr.
15th undersheriff
for Norton, Nov. 5, 1912 – Jan. 12, 1913
Born: June 2, 1851 Died: March 8, 1916
Burial location: Section 69, Lot 207
After serving as undersheriff, Josiah Ross was appointed chief of police for the city of Topeka in October 1913. He had been working for the department at the rank of sergeant.
He was praised by his predecessor, Col. J.W.F. Hughes, as having “no bad habits whatsoever” and being eminently qualified with 20 years of experience in law enforcement
Clyde O. Tresner
18th undersheriff
for Larimer, June 23, 1920 – July 28, 1920
Born: May 1, 1882 Died: March 15, 1952
Burial location: Section 82, Lot 128
Before serving as undersheriff, Clyde Tresner was chief of detectives for the Topeka Police Department. He was credited with developing the first indexing and identification system ever used by Topeka police.
He earlier had worked in the city health department.
Gilbert W. Larimer
19th undersheriff
for Larimer, Dec. 1, 1920 – Jan. 9, 1921
Born: Jan.11, 1881 Died: July 22, 1960
Burial location: Section 83, Lot 181
Before serving as undersheriff, G.W. Larimer worked for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in the freight auditing office and in the office of the general manager.
After working for the sheriff’s office, Larimer worked for the Topeka Police Department as a detective.
