From the 1948 Illinois State Blue Book.
U.S. Representative from Illinois Rolla Coral McMillen is another in a long line of obscure congressmen whom I've known about for years but unfortunately never had a face to place with his name. That fact changed earlier today when I finally located one courtesy of a 1948 Illinois Blue Book. With that tidbit out of the way, we'll begin with the birth of Congressman McMillen, which occurred in Piatt County, Illinois on October 5, 1880.
A son of George E. (1849-1929) and Christina Leatherman McMillen (1850-1922), Rolla attended schools local to the Monticello, Illinois area and was a student at the University of Illinois. He concluded his studies in 1906 when he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, and a short while later opened a law practice in Decatur, Illinois. McMillen married in the 1910s to Ruth Roberts (1889-1978), with whom he had three children: Thomas Roberts (1916-2002), Anne Herron McMillen Beall (1918-2012), and Martha Hathaway McMillen Dolan (1922-2003).
A member of the Decatur law firm of McMillen, McMillen, and Roberts, McMillen first entered Decatur public life in 1916 with his service on the Decatur and Macon County Hospital Board. He served as board president from 1939-40 and was a former president of the Macon County Tuberculosis Association. McMillen also was retained as attorney for the Decatur Sanitary District and was its secretary, serving for an indeterminate period.
1940 proved to be an important year for McMillen, and in that year was named to the Illinois State Housing Board. That same year he was elected as a delegate from Illinois to the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and was a firm supporter of then-presidential candidate Robert A. Taft, U.S. Senator from Ohio. Politics further beckoned to McMillen in January 1944 with the death of Congressman William Wheat, then the U.S. Representative from McMillen's district. Several days following his death McMillen announced his candidacy to fill the seat, stating:
"I desire to devote my effort at this particular time to government service. Training as a lawyer should qualify me for Congress. Any good I can do would be sufficient reward."
From the Tuscola Journal, April 13, 1944.
After leaving Congress in 1951 McMillen and his wife left Illinois for Clearwater, Florida, where they resided for several years. They moved to Evanston, Illinois in 1958, where they resided until Rolla McMillen's death on May 6, 1961, at a local hospital. He was survived by his wife and children and was interred at the Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur.
From the Decatur Daily Review, May 7, 1961.
From Vermont, A Souvenir of Its Government, 1904-05 (author's collection).
Possessing one of the most impressive mustaches this author has ever seen, one-term Vermont state legislator Rolla Covel Griffin was born in the town of Sudbury on October 27, 1855, one of nine children born to Benoni (1819-1905) and Sarah Griffin. A former state representative himself, Benoni Griffin represented Sudbury in the legislature from 1880-82.
Rolla Griffin attended schools local to the Sudbury area and engaged in farming for the majority of his life. He married in Brandon, Vermont on October 11, 1896, to Agnes Gertrude Felton (1867-1910). A widow, Agnes Felton Griffin had one child from her prior marriage, a daughter, Luella. The couple was married for fourteen years until her death in August 1910 and had six children, Albert Hollis (1897-1919), Murray Young, LaRoy, Benoni Simeon (1902-1963), Arlena, and Covel Ernest (1910-1969).
Rolla C. Giffin is mentioned as holding the office of "lister" in his native Sudbury before his election to the Vermont State House of Representatives in 1903. Serving during the 1904-06 session, Griffin was named to the committee on Mileage and Debentures.
Griffin's life following his service in the legislature largely remains a mystery. He died in Sudbury on October 5, 1939, at age 83, and was buried alongside his wife in the Willow Brook Cemetery in Sudbury. In an interesting political tidbit, unusual names and political service continued in the Griffin family with Rolla's son Benoni Simeon, who represented Sudbury in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1961 until his death on New Year's Day, 1963.
And in the third update to this article (September 26, 2012), a third political "Rolla" has been located......Rolla Clayton Van Kirk of Brunswick, Nebraska!
Born in the town mentioned above on February 13, 1894, Rolla Van Kirk was the son of Clay (1859-1941) and Mabel Staples Van Kirk (1870-1961). He received his education in the Brunswick local schools and went on to study at the Yankton College and the University of Nebraska. Van Kirk also found distinction as a private in the U.S. Marines during the First World War and was later named as a lieutenant in the Nebraska National Guard.
Van Kirk received a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Nebraska in the early 1920s and was admitted to the Nebraska bar in 1923. Shortly thereafter he began a law practice, eventually becoming a partner in the firm of Burkett, Wilson, Brown, Wilson, and Van Kirk. He married in 1924 to Ms. Lenora C. Burkett (1893-1966), with whom he would have one son, Clayton B. Van Kirk (born 1929.)
Rolla C. Van Kirk's political career began when he was in his early thirties, winning election to the Nebraska State House of Representatives in 1927. Here he represented the county of Lincoln for four years until 1931 when he won a seat in the Nebraska State Senate.
After leaving the Senate in 1933, Van Kirk continued with his earlier law practice and was also active in several fraternal organizations, holding memberships in the Nebraska State Bar Association, the American Legion, the Reserve Officers Association, and the Masons. Van Kirk died at age 63 on May 25, 1957, and was survived by his wife Lenora, and son Clayton. Both Rolla and his wife (who died in 1966 at age 73) were subsequently interred in the Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.
In this fourth update (December 2, 2012) to the "Rolla" profile, the life of Missouri State Representative Rolla David Calkins is examined. Little could be found about Mr. Calkins, who was born on May 13, 1859, in Livingston County, Illinois. He attended school in Livingston County and as an adolescent was employed as a traveling salesman for a time while pursuing the study of law.
Calkins married in January 1885 to Mary Weyand in Bloomington and later migrated to Missouri, being admitted to the bar in that state in 1889. He spent the next few years engaged in the practice of law while also being a lecturer with the Lyceum Bureau of Kansas City. He was elected to the Missouri State House of Representatives in 1908 from Crawford County, and during his one term of service chaired the committee on Agriculture.
Calkins was unsuccessful in his attempt for a second term in 1910. Nothing else is known of his life, and his date of death is also unknown at this time.
Rolla W. Coleman, from the Topeka State Journal, Jan. 29, 1918
Next up is Rolla Wood Coleman of Merriam, Kansas. Even more obscure than the preceding man, Mr. Coleman served multiple terms in the Kansas State Senate from 1917 until the mid-1940s. Coleman was born in Nemaha County, Kansas on August 23, 1877, a son of Albert Loring and Marietta Coleman. He went on to marry Lina Burgner (1882-1970) in 1905 and later became a lawyer of some repute in Kansas, being licensed to practice law in Kansas, California, and Missouri as well as the U.S. Federal Courts.
Elected to the Kansas Senate from Johnson County in 1917, Coleman served uninterrupted terms until 1923. He was returned to the Senate in the election of 1936 and served six more terms from 1937-1949. He died in Kansas City, Kansas on April 17, 1954, at age 76 and was later interred at the Olathe Memorial Cemetery in Olathe, Kansas. He was survived by his wife Lina, who died in 1970 at age 88.
In yet another new "Rolla" discovery, it's Mr. Rolla Miner Chase of the county of Windham, Vermont. A lifelong resident of that county, Mr. Chase is the only politician profiled thus far who was a dentist by occupation, and in his chosen profession he experienced much success. While being a dentist with an odd name is interesting enough, Chase was chosen to represent his hometown of Bethel, Vermont in the State House of Representatives in 1900.
Born in the town of South Royalton, Vermont on September 4, 1854, Rolla M. Chase was one of four children born to Moses and Rosina Hill Chase. The Chase family moved to Bethel in 1857 and Rolla and his fellow siblings received their education in the common schools of this town. Rolla began studying dentistry in Bethel at age 18 and in 1874 enrolled in the Dental College at Boston.
Chase graduated from the Boston Dental College in 1876 and soon thereafter returned to Bethel to open a dental office. He married here in 1879 to Susan Elizabeth Newell, with whom he had two children, George Berry Chase (born 1881) and Susan Newell Chase (1882-1900).
Throughout the 1870s and 80s, Chase practiced in Bethel, and in 1890 entered the Baltimore Medical College to study medicine. He graduated from this institution the following year as a Doctor of Medicine. The History of Windsor County, Vermont notes that in addition to his practice of dentistry, Chase was a "patentee of a number of useful inventions in dentistry, prominent among which are Chase's Wedge Forcep, Chase's Combination Plate, and a Rubber Heater, patents of recognized utility and generally by the profession throughout the country."
While still engaged in his practice Chase also became a founder of the Vermont State Dental Society in 1876, later serving as its president for one year. In 1882 Chase was appointed by Governor John Barstow to the Vermont State Dental Examining Board, serving there for eighteen years.
As a popular figure in the town of Bethel, Rolla Chase was also sought out to serve in many non-medical areas of public life. He was a member of the local school board for several years and in 1894-1895 served as a vice president of the National Republican League Convention. In November of 1900, he was elected to a term in the Vermont House of Representatives from Bethel and is noted by the Genealogical and Family History of Vermont, Vol. II as an "active and earnest legislator and was made secretary of the general committee."
After leaving the legislature in January 1902 Chase continued in the practice of dentistry while also maintaining involvement in a number of local civic and fraternal organizations, including the Knights Templar and the White River Lodge, No. 90 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In 1907 he was named as a delegate to the Imperial Council of Masons in Los Angeles. Rolla Miner Chase died in Bethel on June 10, 1919, at age 65. The portrait of him shown above appeared in the History of Windsor County, Vermont, published in 1891.
From the Moberly Weekly Monitor, April 2, 1931.
For many decades a prominent newspaperman in Moberly, Missouri, Rolla Renfro Rothwell also served as the Mayor of that city for six terms, the longest tenure of any Moberly mayor up to that time. The son of former U.S. Representative Gideon Rothwell and the former Bettie Ragland, Rolla R. Rothwell was born in Moberly on October 13, 1874. He attended both the Fleets Military Academy and the University of Missouri and married in February 1899 to Fannie Fern Sims (1878-1968), with whom he would have one son, Rolla R. Rothwell Jr. (1907-1949).
Before his career in publishing and politics, Rolla Rothwell was employed in the clothing store of William Little, and entered into newspaper publishing in the 1890s, working in the printing plant for the Armstrong, Missouri Herald. The 1931 Moberly Monitor obituary for Rothwell notes that during his time on the Herald he "had his first experience in operating a linotype machine, then a new invention", and his experience here led him to join the staff of the Moberly Daily and Weekly Monitor in 1903, being a partner of J.W. Sydenstricker and later, Hardin Sims (Rothwell's father in law.) Rothwell would become managing editor of the Monitor, which would later undergo a consolidation into the Monitor-Index in 1919. Rothwell's obituary in the Monitor notes that even after he attained the office of Mayor he maintained an active interest in the paper's management, noting that:
"While he maintained no financial interest and had no voice in directing the editorial policies of the Monitor Index, he was the most valuable member of the staff."
Mayor Rolla R. Rothwell, from the Ogden Standard, December 6, 1913.
Rolla Rothwell first emerged on the Moberly political scene in 1907, when in that year he was elected Mayor for the first of six terms, spread out over a period of twenty-four years. He was returned to the mayor's office in 1909 and during his second term received glowing press in Volume 37 of the Typographical Journal, which noted that:
"Mayor Rothwell has made the city of Moberly one of the best Mayors the town has ever had. Sewers have been extended, streets paved, and the city has become the owner of the water system since Mr. Rothwell became the head of our city government. He is a young man and he is at the head of what we call our "young man's rule."In 1910 Rothwell (while still the incumbent mayor) launched an unsuccessful candidacy for Randolph County clerk, losing to Republican Green Terrill. Rothwell was defeated for reelection as Mayor in 1911 by Democratic candidate W.P. Cave but was not out of the political spotlight for long. He was returned to the mayor's office in the 1913 election and in the year following his victory again became a candidate for county clerk, this time being successful. He served as clerk until January 1919, having been defeated in the November 1918 election.
Five years after his defeat as county clerk Rothwell sought a fifth term as mayor, and made a successful run, serving a term that extended from 1923-25. He wasn't a candidate in 1924 and the new Moberly Mayor, S.P. Towles, suffered the misfortune of dying shortly after being sworn in as mayor. Rothwell lost out again in the special election in 1925 to fill this vacancy. Rothwell was elected to his fifth term as mayor in 1927, his sixth term in 1929, and in 1931 ran unopposed for a seventh term. Sadly, Rothwell did not live to serve out this term, as he died a week before the election on April 1, 1931, at age 56. The mayor had been attending a "paving conference" at the Recreation Cafe in Moberly when he suffered a "cerebral hemorrhage" while having dinner and was later "carried to a room above the cafe" where he died about thirty minutes later.
The loss of the popular mayor was felt throughout Moberly, and the April 2, 1931 edition of the Moberly Monitor featured a large portrait of Rothwell (shown above) along with glowing tributes to his stewardship of the city. Chester Bradley (a Monitor columnist) gave a stirring memorial to the late mayor, writing that:
"Mayor Rothwell lived and died for his friends and his home town. He was thinking and planning for both until the end....The Mayor was sincere as always when thinking and dealing with his home people. He took great pride in his great number of good friends. ''And they are from every strata'', he would always say,''I think as much of a friend if he is a true friend whether he is a a banker or common laborer."Following his death, Rolla Renfro Rothwell was interred at the Oakland Cemetery in Moberly and was survived by his wife and son. Rothwell later received the posthumous honor of having the 447-acre Rothwell Park in Moberly named after him. The park still exists today, being called "the jewel of Moberly Parks and Recreation."
A portion of Rothwell's obituary from the April 2, 1931 Moberly Monitor.
Rolla W. Prothero.
In yet another update (April 11, 2018) to an already lengthy article, another political "Rolla" has been found...Rolla William Prothero of Baraboo, Wisconsin. A multi-term mayor of that city, Prothero was born in Sauk County on January 2, 1881, the son of Lewis John and Mabel (Wirtz) Prothero. Prior to his election as mayor, he was affiliated with the auto business. Prothero served as Baraboo's mayor from 1930-36 and again from 1950-54. Three years following his leaving office, Prothero dropped dead of a heart attack in the yard of his home while working on his car. He was later interred at the Walnut Hill Cemetery in Baraboo.
From the Dillon Examiner, March 4, 1921.
Another obscure "Rolla" who was elected to public office was Rolla Preston Heren of Montana, who served multiple terms in the state senate. Born in Missouri in 1869, Rolla P. Heren was one of several children born to Solomon Preston and Mariah (Myers) Heren. After attending college Heren began a long career as a livestock inspector and cattle dealer, joining with his brother Claude as an inspector at the Chicago stockyards. Heren married in Missouri in 1896 to Florence Darrah, to whom he was wed until her death. After her passing Heren remarried in Denver, Colorado in 1914 to Julia Scossa, who would survive him.
Following his return to Montana, Heren resided in Miles City where he continued with his earlier work and served several terms as president of the Montana Stockgrower's Association in the early 20th century. In 1917 he was elected to represent Custer County in the Montana Senate, where he continued to serve until 1925, and during the 1921-23 session held the post of president pro temp.
Little else is known of Heren's life after 1925, except notice of his removal to Phoenix, Arizona, where he died in 1942. A burial location for Heren remains unknown at this time.
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