Boone County IA Archives History - Books .....Governmental, Chapter 8 1914 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ia/iafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 March 30, 2009, 8:47 pm Book Title: HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY IOWA CHAPTER VIII GOVERNMENTAL THE COMMISSIONERS' COURT The first governing body established to control the affairs of counties in Iowa was the Commissioners' Court, adopted as early as the period when this great state was a part and parcel of Wisconsin Territory. When Boone County was created, provisions were made in the organizing act for the election of a board of three commissioners, the jurisdiction of which was almost without limitation under the law. But the system was time worn and the county had barely gotten started on its way when it became apparent the days of the Commissioners' Court in Iowa were numbered. Throughout the state dissatisfaction arose with the methods of the commissioners in conducting county affairs and the office was the subject of much unfavorable criticism in various bailiwicks of the commonwealth. The Boone County commissioners had no place in the controversy, however, as their incumbency was of short, but satisfactory duration. In 1851 the Commissioners' Court was abolished by law and by an act of the Legislature THE COUNTY COURT system was substituted therefor. This court was given equal power to that of its predecessor in all matters of the county, and coordinate jurisdiction with justices of the peace. Ten years' trial of the County Court seem to have been sufficient for the people to determine that the best means of running the affairs of the county had not been adopted. It was far from being satisfactory. Many of the early taxpayers claimed that the judge of the court had altogether too much power and that the general interests of the communty were continually imperiled. Then the township, or SUPERVISOR SYSTEM came to the fore by legislative enactment, and in 1861 the first board of township supervisors was inducted into office, each township being represented by one member. This plan prevailed until 1870, when again the system was changed by an act of the General Assembly, which made it optional with the people whether they elect three or five members to compose the hoard of supervisors, provided for in the previous year. Boone chose to have a board of three members and that has been its strength in numbers from that day to the present time. When the county was organized the offices created by the Legislature for county government consisted of the Commissioners' Court, commissioners' clerk, sheriff, surveyor, treasurer and recorder, coroner, inspector of weights and measures, prosecuting attorney, probate judge and clerk of the District Court. In 1860 the business of the District Court had become so great that a new tribunal was created and designated as the Circuit Court. This court exercised general jurisdiction concurrent with the District Court in all civil actions and special proceedings and exclusive jurisdiction in all appeals and writs of error from inferior courts and had a general supervision thereof in all civil mailers. It also had the power to correct and prevent abuses where no other remedy was provided. The Circuit Court also had original jurisdiction of all probate matters. Prior to the year 1869 the clerk was elected as clerk of the District Court. When the law went into effect establishing the Circuit Court, the official duties were circumscribed by both courts. On January 1, 1887, the Circuit Court was abolished; at the time of its establishment in 1869, however, the office of county auditor, or business agent, was instituted. These explanations are rendered so that the reader may consult the list of county officials, which follows, understandingly. As far as the records show, the name of every person who filled an office of the County of Boone is here given: COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 1850. Jesse Hull, John Boyles, James Corbin; clerk, Reuben S. Clark. COUNTY JUDGE 1851, Samuel B. McCall; 1854, J. B. Montgomery; 1857. Samuel B. McCall; 1859 J. B. Mongomery; 1865, S. B. Mitchell; 1867, M. M. King. PROBATE JUDGE With the establishment of the county judge system in 1851, it appears that the office of probate judge was discontinued. The first and only person to hold this office was David Hamilton, who was elected in 1849 and fulfilled the duties as probate judge until the office was abolished. CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT 1850, John M. Wane; 1852, J. K. Detrick; 1854-56-58, Reuben S. Clark; 1860, James Chapman; 1866-68, H. R. Wilson; 1870-72-74, Philip Livingston; 1876-78, James Hazlett; 1880-82, J. J. Snell; 1884-86, Robert J. Hopkins; 1888-90, John S. Friedly; 1892-94, S. L. Spurrier; 1896-98, E. Harner; 1900-02, J. H. Eade; 1904-06, Frank H. Johnson; 1908-10, Carl Fritz Henning; 1912, D. B. Ashenfelter. SHERIFF 1850, Samuel H. Bowers; 1851, James W. Lacy; 1853-55, P. Chitwood; 1857-59, William Holmes; 1861, G. B. Redman; 1865-67-69-71, George Crooks; 1873, J. B. Hurlbert; 1875,_____ Canfield; 1877-79, S. S. Webb; 1881-83, S. S. Webb; 1885-87, Samuel P. Zenor; 1889-91, J. B. Patterson; 1893, S. P. Zenor; 1895, H. C. DeFore; 1897-99, George Garner; 1901-03, Willard Foster; 1906-08, George E. Hannum; 1910-12, John Reid, Jr. TREASURER AND RECORDER 1850, John M. Crooks; 1851, Reuben S. Clark; 1853, L.J. Dunn; 1855-57-59-61, C. W. Hamilton. TREASURER 1865, J. B. Hurlbert; 1867, George E. Jones; 1869, A. Downing; 1871, J. R. Epperson; 1873, George E. Jones; 1875, ___ Snell; 1877, W. S. Colvin; 1879, J. T. S. Williams; 1881-83, Joseph G. Spurrier; 1885-87, Miles Becket; 1889-91, Duncan Grant; 1893-95. W. D. Moore; 1897, to fill vacancy, Bert M. Huntley; 1899, B. M. Huntley; 1901-03, S. A. Bengston; 1906, F. M. Lorenzen; 1908, A. Henderson; 1910-12, Theodore Duckworth. RECORDER 1868, A. J. Barkley; 1870-72-74, J. F. Brett; 1876, Matt Webb; 1878-82, C. A. Ebersole; 1884-86, William Fisher; 1888-90, John L. Engstrom; 1892-94, Gustaf A. Holm; 1896-1901, C. C. Olson; 1904-06, J. S. Halliday; 1908, May F. Wells; 1910-12, Herbert C. Sayre. AUDITOR When the Circuit Court was created in 1869, the office of county auditor, or business agent, was instituted. W. C. Harrah was then chosen and continued in office until 1873, when L. L. Sawyer was elected as his successor; 1875-77, J. A. Head; 1879-83, T. S. Boyd; 1885-87, John H. Eversoll; 1889-92, F. E. Cutler; 1894-96, M. D. McGregor; 1898-1900, A. M. Burnside; 1902-04, Archie Patterson; 1906-08, E. F. Jones; 1910-12, G. H. Getty. PROSECUTING ATTORNEY 1850, Wesley C. Hull; 1851, Timothy Wilson; 1852, Lewis Kinney; 1854, James Corbin; 1856, V. R. L. Large. The office of district attorney was established about this time and the incumbent's jurisdiction extended throughout the judicial district in which he was elected. The records do not show that Boone County furnished a man for this office. The General Assembly of 1885-86 passed an act abolishing the office of district attorney and creating the office of county attorney, thereby confining the duties of the prosecutor to his own county. The county attorney under the act holds his office by the votes of the electorate of the county the same as any other officers. The first election in Boone County for county attorney was held in 1886. COUNTY ATTORNEY 1886, J. R. Whitaker; 1888, O. M. Brockett; 1890-92, J. R. Whitaker; 1894-96, A. J. Holmes; 1898-1900, Charles I. Sparks; 1902-04, H. L. Ganoe; 1906-08, C. J. Cederquist; 1910-12, Frank Hollingsworth. COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS Prior to the creation of the office of county superintendent of schools, the office of school fund commissioner was maintained and the duties thereof consisted chiefly in the collection of moneys obtained from school lands and other resources provided for educational purposes and the disbursement thereof as the law directed. It does not appear from the records now on file in the county auditor's office that the office of school fund commissioner was filled in this county and the first record of a county superintendent of schools is of the election of 1859, when C. W. Williams was returned as county superintendent of schools. The names of his successors follow in the order of their election: 1861, Levi Emmerson; 1865, W. T. Harlan; 1867, H. Selby; 1869, A. E. Simons; 1871-73, T. P. Coin; 1875, T. A. Cutler; 1877, G. W. Lloyd; 1879-1881, J. H. Chambers; 1883-87, George W. Ashton; 1889-90, B. P. Holst; 1890-1903, R. V. Veneman; 1903-1908, R. R. Cobb; 1910-12, Gracia E. Tucker. SURVEYOR 1850, Thomas Sparks; 1851, S. C. Wood; 1853, S. C. Wood; 1857, S. C. Wood; 1859-1865, L. Regan; 1867, J. B. Torbert; 1881-85, A. M. Mullinix; 1887, Curtis M. Kennedy; 1889, Ambrose Blythe; 1890, to fill vacancy, I. A. Worcester; 1891, I. A. Worcester; 1892, to fill vacancy, G. W. Brown; 1893-1903, G. W. Brown; 1906-10, H. A. Chambers. CORONER 1850, James Hull; 1851, James Turner; 1853, W. L. Pilcher; 1855, James Lacy; 1857, Michael Myers; 1859, West Myers; 1861, Joseph Barnes; 1867, Lewis Davis; 1881-83, George Doran; 1885-91, D. N. DeTar; 1893, O. Clark; 1895, D. N. DeTar; 1896-97, Andrew White; 1899-1903, H. C. Ebersole; 1904-10, J. C. Walker; 1912, N. M. Whitehill. At the election of 1904 the question was before the electors to change the time of elections from yearly to biennally. The proposition carried and those officials whose offices would otherwise have expired in 1905 held over for one year. The first biennial election therefore was held in the fall of 1906, when a full list of county officials was elected. Additional Comments: Additional Comments: [Transcriber's note: The first 5 chapters have to do with a brief and very general history of Iowa, geology, and Native American sociology. These chapters will not be transcribed.] Extracted from: HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY IOWA N. E. GOLDTHWAIT SUPERVISING EDITOR ILLUSTRATED VOLUME I CHICAGO PIONEER PUBLISHING COMPANY 1914 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ia/boone/history/1914/historyo/governme60nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/iafiles/ File size: 10.4 Kb