Gladstone Daughtry Gatling (1880-1954), Gladstone Nathaniel Jones Sr. (1907-1964)

Portrait from the Perquimans Weekly, May 17, 1940.

    A member of one of Gates County, North Carolina's most distinguished families, Gladstone Daughtry Gatling represented that county in the North Carolina House of Representatives on four occasions and later was an unsuccessful candidate for the state senate. 

  The son of Riddick Gatling Jr. (1833-1912) and the former Pennina Wiley (1844-1919), Gladstone Daughtry Gatling was born in Gates County on April 27, 1880. Gatling's unusual first name "Gladstone" looks to have been given to him in honor of William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), the four-time Prime Minister of Great Britain and member of Parliament for over fifty years. Gladstone was the incumbent Prime Minister in 1880 (the year of Gatling's birth), which lends even more credence to Gatling being named in honor of him. 

   Born into a family of prominent standing in Gates County, Gatling's father and grandfather both served terms in the North Carolina legislature and public service continued in his family with John Jacob Gatling (Gladstone's uncle) and Riddick Waverly Gatling (Gladstone's cousin), who also won terms in the legislature. Gladstone Gatling attended private schools in Reynoldston, North Carolina from 1888-1892 and from 1894 to 1896 studied at the Reynoldston Academy. Little could be found on Gatling's personal life following his graduation, except for his being a merchant and farmer in the Roduco, North Carolina area.

   Gatling married on October 7, 1914, to Lillian Baxter Harrell (1889-1972), to whom he was wed for nearly four decades. The couple would have four children: William Gladstone (1915-1991), Robert Riddick (1917-2008), Nina Suttle (1919-2011) and Carolyn Wilson (1921-1991). 

   Active in the political life of Gates County in addition to his farming and business pursuits, Gladstone Gatling was a former member of the Gates County Board of Education as well as a tax supervisor and served as a justice of the peace from 1908-1912.  In November 1912 he was elected as Gates County's representative to the North Carolina General Assembly and during his freshman term (1913-15) served on the following committees: Immigration, Insurance, Privileges and Elections,  Regulation of Public Service Corporations, and the joint committee on Printing.

  Gladstone D. Gatling won his second term in the state house in November 1914 and during the 1915-17 session served on the house committees on Agriculture, Banks, and Currency, Federal Relations, Fish and Fisheries, Oyster Interests, and the Regulation of Public Service Corporations. He would also chair the joint committee on Enrolled Bills. Following this term, he returned to private life and during the First World War was a member of the "Four Minute Men", a group created to inspire support for America's entering the war effort. This group consisted of experienced public speakers "approved by local civic and business leaders" and spoke around the country, giving four-minute speeches advocating public support for war-related activities, including the purchase of war bonds and the Liberty Loan and Thrift Stamp campaigns. 

From the Perquimans Weekly, May 17, 1940.

   More than a decade after his last term in the legislature Gladstone Gatling launched a candidacy for a third term in the house of representatives in 1930. He would win the election in November of that year and during the 1931-33 session served on the committees on Commercial Fisheries, Drainage, the Journal, Pensions, Enrolled Bills, and Printing. Gatling won his fourth term in the house in November 1932 and served until the conclusion of the 1933-35 term.

   In 1940 Gatling became a candidate for the North Carolina Senate in that year's Democratic primary but was ultimately unsuccessful in gaining election to that body. Little is known of his life after this point, except notice of his death on July 8, 1954, at age 74. He was survived by his wife and children and was later interred at the Gatesville Cemetery in Gatesville, North Carolina.

Portrait from the Mississippi Official and Statistical Register, 1960-64.

   Another political figure bestowed the unusual first name "Gladstone" was Gladstone Nathaniel Jones Sr., a resident of  Wayne County, Mississippi. Born in Waynesboro on October 16, 1907, Gladstone N. Jones was the son of Ransom Powell and Harriet Demaris (Cochran) Jones. A teacher and farmer in the Wayne County area, Jones served one term in the Mississippi State House of Representatives from 1960-64 and died shortly after the conclusion of his term on December 18, 1964. He was survived by his wife Mary Ruth (Nester) Jones (1906-1988) and was later interred at the Waynesboro Cemetery.

Esto Bates Broughton (1890-1956)

Portrait from the History of Stanislaus County, California, 1921.

   Today's write-up highlights the life of Esto Bates Broughton, one of the first women to serve in the California State Assembly. A lawyer and graduate of the University of California, Broughton was one of four women elected to the 1919-21 assembly session, subsequently serving a total of four terms in that body. Following her time in state government, she worked as a reporter for several California newspapers and later was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1932 and 1952.

   The daughter of James Richard and Jennie Bates Broughton, Esto Bates Broughton was born in Modesto, California on January 9, 1890. Being the daughter of a bank president, Broughton was afforded an excellent education, attending the public schools of Modesto as well as the Lowell High School in San Francisco. She later continued her education at the University of California and earned both her Bachelor of Arts Degree (1915) and law degree (1916) from that institution.

   Mentioned as being the first female attorney to practice in Stanislaus County, Broughton served as President of the Modesto Improvement Club prior to serving in the assembly and is remarked as having been an advocate of a national prohibition law. Nominated for the state assembly from Stanislaus County in 1918, Broughton won the election that November, being the youngest of the four women to win assembly seats that year. The only Democrat amongst the four, Broughton proved to be busy as a freshman legislator, serving on the following committees: Civil Service, Direct legislation, Engrossment and Enrollment, Irrigation, Public Morals, and Ways and Means. 

   Broughton's first assembly term saw her make "a special study of the irrigation laws", and her interest in that subject led her to introduce a bill "allowing irrigation districts to develop electric power in connection with irrigation projects." Broughton's bill would be passed into law and proved to have lasting results, with:

"Bonds for the Don Pedro Dam project were voted on by the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation districts, and the two districts concerned will be assured of an abundance of water and also of power, the income or saving of which will be a great consideration for the taxpayer."

   Esto Broughton won her second term in the assembly in 1920 and during that session chaired the committee on the normal school, as well as serving on the agriculture, taxation, judiciary, charities, and corrections committees. This term also saw her aid returning WWI veterans by "advocating special job programs". She would win two further assembly terms in 1922 and 1924 and in the last-named year "easily defeated an independent candidate."

Portrait from www.nwhm.org.

   Upon leaving the assembly at the end of the 1926-27 session Broughton returned to practicing law and from 1928-31 served the Pasadena Playhouse as its publicity director. In the early 1930s, Broughton is recorded as being a reporter at the California capitol, being affiliated with the Fresno Republican, Stockton Record, and the San Francisco News. She would return to political life in 1932  when she served as a member of the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago that nominated Franklin Roosevelt for the Presidency. 

   Little is known of Esto Broughton's life following her service as a delegate. Sources of the time denote her service as Secretary of the Stanislaus County Bar Association (dates of service unknown) and also her time spent teaching journalism at the University of Hawaii in 1935. In one of her last acts of public service, Broughton was again a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, this time as an alternate to the convention being held in Chicago.

   Esto Bates Broughton died in California on November 20, 1956, at age 66. Many aspects of her private life continue to remain a mystery, including whether or not she married and had children. The origins of her unusual first name also remain unknown.

Pitkin Cowles Wright (1834-1896)

Portrait courtesy of http://kt.iayorkrite.org.

     An attorney and Masonic leader in Clinton County, Iowa, Pitkin Cowles Wright was a transplant to that state from Connecticut. Following his relocation to Iowa in the mid-1850s he set up a law practice and during his residency in Clinton County served as Mayor of the town of De Witt and later, County Judge. Attaining high rank in the Masonic fraternity, Wright served as Grand Commander of the Knights Templar of Iowa, holding that post from 1871-72.

   Pitkin C. Wright was born in Canaan, Connecticut on May 17, 1834, being the son of Dr. Albert Alfred and Frances Anne Cowles Wright. Young Pitkin was afforded "the benefit of an excellent education" and would be a student at Williams College in Massachusetts. He graduated in the class of 1852 and shortly thereafter began reading law. After three years of study, he was admitted to the bar and in 1855 relocated to Binghamton, New York, where he joined the law firm of Hotchkiss and Seymour.

   Wright's time in New York lasted only a year, and, seeing a bright future for himself in the American West, began a lengthy trek to Iowa. By the fall of 1856 Wright had established himself as a lawyer in the town of Camanche, then just a small village in Clinton County. He resettled in the town of De Witt in 1857 and soon began to establish roots in that community. Wright married in September 1861 to Clara Edwards (born 1839), with whom he had three children: Julius Albert (born 1862), Katherine (born 1867) and Pitkin (born 1870).

  With a few years of resettling in De Witt, Pitkin C. Wright had made headway into the political life of that town, being elected as its Mayor in 1862. He was returned to that office in 1870 and from 1864-65 served as Judge of Clinton County, an office "whose duties he acceptably performed for some time." In addition to politics, Wright was a leading light in Iowa Masonic circles for over a decade, first joining the De Witt Lodge No. 34 in May 1863. He would advance to Warden a few years later and by 1870 was serving as Worshipful Master of the Right Hand Lodge No. 281. The following list is but a brief snippet of the advancement Wright made during his time as a Mason in Iowa.

• 1865: High Priest in the Mount Moriah Chapter, No. 17 at Camanche, Iowa.
• 1866: Organizer of the Keystone Chapter No. 32, Royal Arch Masons.
• 1867: Sir Knight in the Holy Cross Commandary No. 10, Knights Templar.
• 1868: Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of the State of Iowa (until 1870.)
• 1871-1872: Grand Commander of the Grand Commandary of the Knights Templar of Iowa.
• 1872: Conferred the title of Cross of Knight Commander of the Court of Honor at the Supreme Council of the Rite at Louisville, Kentucky.
• Attained the 33rd degree.

   In 1874 Pitkin Wright and his family removed from Iowa and resettled in Nashville, Tennessee. Wright dabbled in insurance for several years and by 1884 was employed as an agent in the Tennessee agency for the Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company, based in Nashville. In 1887 Wright began service as Secretary of the Tennessee Press Association, and following his removal to Memphis, the following year continued in that office. 

   Following his move to Nashville Wright is recorded as doing "special work on the Appeal and other local papers", and in December 1888 suffered an attempt on his life when unknown assailants fired a pistol shot through the window of his room at the Fransioll House, the bullet subsequently splintering the headboard of Wright's bed (within two inches of his head) and burying itself in a wall! Wright is reported to have been unharmed in the incident.

   After many years of public prominence in both Iowa and Tennessee, Pitkin Cowles Wright died in Somerville, Tennessee on September 14, 1896, at age 62. He was still serving as Secretary of the Tennessee Press Association at the time of his passing and was survived by his wife and children. He was later interred at a cemetery in Somerville, its exact name being unknown at this time.

From the Johnson City "Comet", Sept. 24, 1896.

Bickerton Lyle Winston (1857-1904)

Portrait from the Richmond Post-Dispatch, December 13, 1904.

   Following up on July 16th's profile of Virginia state delegate Moncure Woodson Camper, we continue our stay in Virginia to examine the life of a man named Bickerton--an odd first name to be sure! A standout figure in the county of Hanover, Bickerton Lyle Winston was for many years active in the fields of both medicine and politics, being a three-term member of the State House of Delegates as well as serving on the State Board of Medical Examiners. 

  Born into a prominent Hanover County family, Bickerton Lyle Winston was born on February 8, 1857, one of several children born to William Overton and Sarah Ann (Gregory) Winston. He began his schooling in the public schools of Hanover and later attended the Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. Deciding upon a career in the medical field, Winston enrolled in medical school at the University of New York City and received his degree in the class of 1884.

   In the late 1870s, Bickerton L. Winston married Fanny Byrd Tunstall (1850-1936). The couple would have seven children born to their union, including Bickerton Lyle Jr. (1880-1966), Frances Byrd (1891-1989), and Josephine Allen (1893-1982). 

  After receiving his medical license Winston returned to Hanover Court House, Virginia to begin his practice, residing there until his death two decades later. Winston would also engage in farming in addition to practicing medicine, serving as president of the Virginia State Farmer's Alliance in the early 1890s.  

   During his years as a practicing physician Bickerton L. Winston was especially devoted to the affairs of the deaf, and for several years served as a member of the Board of Visitors for the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, located in Staunton. Winston's eldest son, Bickerton Lyle Jr. (1880-1966) suffered from deafness and beginning in 1897 was enrolled as a student at the aforementioned school. Winston's tenure on the board of the Staunton school received prominent mention in his memorial notice published in the New York Deaf and Mutes Journal a few days after his passing. In it, Winston is remarked as having:

"Served with ability, and his services were always along lines practical, helpful and far reaching into the good all the while. He was unselfish, conscientious, nurturing and devoted to the deaf--largely because of having a deaf boy, perhaps. To him much credit is due for the condition of the school to-day, for he never lost any interest in it or in the class."

From the 1898-99 Virginia House of Delegates composite photograph.

   In 1892 Bickerton Lyle Winston entered the political life of his state for the first time, serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention that nominated Grover Cleveland for the presidency. Two years later Winston was elected to fill a vacancy in the House of Delegates that had been occasioned by the resignation of Richard H. Cardwell, who had recently been elected to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Winston served out the remainder of Cardwell's term and in 1895 was elected to a term of his own in the legislature. He would win a second full term in 1897 and wasn't a candidate for renomination in 1899. 

   Winston's six years in the legislature saw him sit on the committees on Prisons and Asylums, General Laws, Agriculture, and Mining, as well as taking a special interest "in all matters relating to humane institutions of the state." Winston was also responsible for introducing a bill that advocated "separate institutions" for the blind and deaf, as well as requesting that a school for the blind be established in Ashland, Virginia. Despite "being reported favorably to the committee of the house to which it was referred", the bill wouldn't pass. 

  Following his time in the legislature Winston continued in the practice of medicine and for three years (1901-1904) served as a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners. In the last several months of his life, Winston suffered through a "protracted illness" that would eventually lead to his death on December 11, 1904. Just 47 years old at the time of his death, Winston was survived by his wife and children and was later interred at the Blenheim Winston Cemetery in Hanover.

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Dec. 14, 1904.

Moncure Woodson Camper (1846-1923)

 Moncure W. Camper.

    A newspaper publisher based in both Virginia and Alabama, Moncure Woodson Camper was affiliated with journalism and publishing for a good majority of his seventy-six years, and that long lifespan also saw him become politically active, serving as Mayor of Fincastle, Virginia as well as a term in the Virginia House of Delegates. Following his time in the legislature, Camper moved to Alabama to continue in journalism and would serve as President of the Alabama Press Association several years after his resettlement.

   The son of Henry and Elizabeth Camper, Moncure Woodson Camper was born in Fincastle, Virginia on August 8, 1846, He attended schools native to Fincastle and shortly after graduating from the Fincastle Academy enlisted in the Confederate Army in May 1864. Joining a contingent of "home guards", Camper would later be transferred to Company D. of the Eleventh Virginia Infantry, serving in the brigade of General (and future Virginia Governor) James Lawson Kemper, who was himself a brigade commander under George Pickett. Camper's tenure in "Pickett's Division" saw him in "all its movements around Richmond and Petersburg" and he served with that unit until being discharged at Lynchburg, Virginia at the war's conclusion.

   After re-entering civilian life Camper saw a bright future for himself in newspaper publishing, and with a partner established the Fincastle Herald in 1866. He would hold the posts of editor and publisher and later bought out his partner's interest, continuing to run the paper alone until its sale in 1889. Camper married in February 1879 to Amelia "Minnie" Browne (1855-1930), a native of New Orleans. The couple were wed for nearly fifty years and had two children, Julia Hartwell (1879-1963) and Ambrose Brown (1881-1956)

   Camper entered politics in December 1875 when he was elected as Mayor of Fincastle, an office that he'd continue to hold until January 1881. In November 1883 Camper was elected as one of Botetourt County's representatives to the Virginia State House of Delegates by "a clean majority of over 900." Serving in the 1884-86 session, Camper sat on the committees on Elections, the Military, and Public Printing. 

   In 1889 Moncure Camper sold off his interest in the Fincastle Herald and moved to Florence, Alabama. After a period of gathering funds, Camper purchased the Florence Wave, of which he would serve as editor. Some months later he would sell off his interest in that paper and founded the Florence Times, which issued its first pages in 1890.

Portrait from the Notable Men of Alabama, Vol. II, 1904.

   Camper's prominent reputation and stewardship of the Florence Times led to his being named as President of the Alabama Press Association in 1895. His time in that post concluded in 1897 and in the following year was selected as one of two Lauderdale County delegates to the upcoming state constitutional convention, but due to the repeal "of the law providing for the revision of the constitution", the convention of 1898 never came to fruition. 

   Active in several civic groups in Florence, Camper served seven years as president of the Florence Business Men's League, was a director of the Florence Merchant's Bank, and was a past worshipful master in the local Masonic lodge. In the latter portion of his life Camper served as postmaster of Florence and after eight years in that role died in office on January 14, 1923, at age 76. Camper was subsequently memorialized by his contemporaries as a:

"Unusually attractive man who drew about him a large circle of friends. He gave himself modestly, but untiringly, to the betterment of his community and State, and he will be missed by all those who knew him."

   Camper's widow Minnie survived her husband by seven years, dying on July 7, 1930. Both Camper and his wife were interred at the Florence Cemetery, as are their two children. 

Attilla Cox (1843-1909)

From the Breckinridge News, July 14, 1909.

                            

   We conclude our stay in Kentucky with a look at the life of Attilla Cox, very likely the only American political figure named after that well-known ancient Germanic despot Attila the Hun (died 453), who pillaged, looted, and conquered numerous cities throughout Central and Western Europe. Despite sharing this name with such a fearsome military leader, Attilla Cox was one of the most well-liked and respected men in his section of Kentucky, being remarked as a "man possessed of wonderful ability", as well as a "gentleman of rare intelligence, business sagacity, and tact".

  One of the preeminent business leaders in the cities of Owenton and Louisville, Cox was a past President of the Louisville, Henderson, and St. Louis Railroad. He earns a place here on the site due to his service in the Kentucky State Senate in the mid-1880s, as well as for his being a delegate to the 1884 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

   A lifelong Kentucky native, Attilla Cox was born in the town of Ghent on August 16, 1843, the son of James P. and Felicia Obussier Cox. He attended school in Carroll County and later studied at Ghent College until the age of thirteen. Left fatherless at the age of thirteen, Cox relocated to Louisville to take work as a clerk in a general store, remaining in that employ until age 18. In 1862 he and his older brother Florian established themselves in Warsaw, Kentucky, where they built up a dry goods business under the firm name F & A. Cox. 

  After several years in Warsaw, the Cox brothers moved their business to Owenton and were joined by two other brothers, James and Luke. In June 1869 Attilla Cox married to Kate Ware Martin (1850-1919). The couple were wed for nearly forty years and would have three children, Leonard M., Attilla J. (1875-1935) and Katharyne (1881-1907). Of these children Attilla Cox Jr. would follow his father into public service, being a Louisville-based attorney and decorated officer during the First World War.

                                                    Attilla Cox as he appeared in the late 1880s.

   Attilla Cox's residency in Owenton saw him find success in merchandising but also banking and railroading. For a time Cox held the position of cashier of the Owenton First National Bank and is also recorded as being the "promoter and owner of stage lines and telephone connecting Owenton and Warsaw with the Short Line railroad." He would enter politics in 1879 when he won a seat in the state Senate and during the 1880-83 session sat on the following committees: Banks and Insurance, Internal Improvements, Railroads, and the Sinking Fund.

  Cox would win another term in the Senate in the early 1880s and during that term served as part of the Kentucky delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that nominated Grover Cleveland for the Presidency. In 1885 Cox removed to Louisville to accept the appointment of Collector of Internal Revenue for Kentucky's 5th district, being named to that post by President Cleveland.

   Cox's tenure as Internal Revenue collector ended in 1893 when he retired due to the election of Republican Benjamin Harrison to the Presidency. Shortly after leaving office Cox became the primary organizer of the Mechanics Savings Bank and Trust Company, which later merged with the Columbia Finance and Trust Company. He would serve as president of the latter company until his death and was also affiliated with several other business concerns, including the directorships of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, the Ohio Falls Car Manufacturing Company, the Mutual Life Insurance Company of Kentucky, and the Louisville Gas Company.

   In August of 1892, Attilla Cox began a four-year stint as receiver of the Louisville, St. Louis, and Texas Railroad. Upon that company's reorganization in 1896 as the Louisville, Henderson, and St. Louis Railway Company Cox was named as its president, continuing in that role until his death thirteen years later.

   Attilla Cox maintained an active role in his community until a few weeks before his death at age 66 on July 7, 1909. His death occurred after an illness of several weeks and was reported by the Cloverport Breckinridge News as having caused "widespread sorrow" throughout Louisville and the neighboring areas. He was survived by his wife Kate, who, following her death in 1917, was interred alongside her husband at the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

From the Kentucky Irish American, June 2, 1900.

Fallis Vernon Buky (1904-1998)

Portrait from a Buky campaign card.

   We continue our stay in Kentucky for a look at the life of two-term state representative Fallis Vernon Buky, a longtime resident of Jefferson County in that state. Born on February 6, 1904, in Kentucky, Fallis Buky was the son of Vernon (born 1870) and Mattie Hill Buky. Little is known of Buky's early years or education, except a brief mention of his attending the Clark College of Commerce in Kentucky. He married in Louisville on September 11, 1925, to Ms. Mildred Bibb (1903-1999), to whom he was wed for over seventy years. Their lengthy union saw the births of two children, Vernon C. (1927-1979) and Lois Jean. 

   For forty-five years "Pop" Buky was employed as a supervisor for the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, and in 1961 was elected to represent Kentucky's 40th district in the state legislature. He would win a second term in 1963 and during this term represented the 40th legislative district, leaving office in 1967.

   In addition to his time in the legislature, Buky was for many years a parishioner at the Immanuel Baptist Church of Frankfort as well as being a member of the Masonic order and the Kosair Shriners. Fallis V. Buky died in Kentucky on September 4, 1998, at age 94 and was later interred at the Resthaven Memorial Cemetery in Louisville. 

Farmer Johnson Eversole (1874-1952)

Portrait from the History of Kentucky, Vol. IV, 1922.

   Kentucky yields another odd-named public figure in Farmer Johnson Eversole, for many years an active member of the Perry County bar. A former County Attorney for Perry County, Eversole would later be appointed as Master Commissioner of the Circuit Court of Perry County and served seven years in that post.

  The son of George Washington Eversole and the former Susannah Johnson, Farmer Johnson Eversole was born on October 20, 1874. His education took place in the public schools of Perry County and the Booneville Academy and at age fourteen is recorded as a teacher in the Perry and Lee County school systems. He continued along this route for eight years and later enrolled at the University of Kentucky, his dates of study being unknown at this time. 

   Eversole entered local politics for the first time in 1898 when he began a stint as Deputy County clerk for Perry County. He would serve in that post for about a year, and in 1899 was admitted to the Kentucky bar. Three years later he was elected as Perry County Attorney, and during his four-year term "proved his resourcefulness as a trial lawyer." Eversole married during his term in 1905 to Mary Cassandra Morgan (1884-1936), with whom he had four children: Farmer Jr. (1905-1962), Susie (1907-1980), Homer, and Jessie Elmer.

   In 1915 Farmer Eversole returned to Kentucky political life when he was appointed as Master Commissioner of the Perry County Circuit Court, his primary function being to aid that court in the "discharge of its duties and the enforcement of its judgments." His tenure extended until 1922, having "given characteristically effective service" to his appointed office.

  Active in several business concerns in Perry County, Farmer Eversole held the vice presidency of both the Perry County Bank and the Concoa Coal Company. A longstanding member of the Masonic fraternity, Eversole served as a delegate to the Masonic Grand Lodge of Kentucky in 1908. Little could be found on the latter period of Farmer Eversole's life, excepting notice of his death in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 19, 1952, at age 77. He was preceded in death by his wife in 1936 and both were interred at the Englewood Cemetery in Hazard.

Chadwell Fleming Campbell Nolan (1845-1923)

Portrait courtesy of the Kentucky State Historical Society.

   After several years of being a state that has been sadly underrepresented here on the site, Kentucky has recently started to yield many oddly named political figures, mainly due to the discovery of the following legislative roster listing the name of every Kentucky state representative that served between 1900 and 1948. Ryland Christmas Musick (profiled back on June 30th) was found here, as well as the name of today's "honoree", Chadwell Fleming Campbell Nolan!

  One of the most plentifully named men to serve in the Kentucky legislature, Chadwell F.C. Nolan (also spelled Nolen) was a Civil War veteran who, following his military service, became a leading citizen in Harlan County, where he was active in local mining and lumber concerns. He would serve one term in the Kentucky legislature and, like Ryland C. Musick before him, lost his life in a tragic accident in the early 1920s. 

   Born in Harlan County, Kentucky on March 5, 1845, Chadwell Fleming Campbell Nolan was one of thirteen children born to Joseph (1790-1872) and Mary Marsee Nolan (1793-1870). During the Civil War Nolan served as a member of the "Home Guards" in Kentucky and is mentioned as having been "actively engaged on several occasions with marauding bands of Confederate soldiers." He married on February 4, 1863, to Louisa Jane Turner (1845-1918), to whom he was wed for five decades. Their lengthy union would see the births of fourteen children, five of whom were still living at the time of Nolan's death in 1923.

   Following his war service, Nolan was affiliated with "several large corporations" that were responsible for locating mineral-rich properties in Harlan County. Later business ventures saw him dabble in the "lumber and stave business", and in the succeeding years, the name of Chadwell F.C. Nolan grew to be one of the most prominent in Harlan County, eventually resulting in two area communities (Chad and Nolansburg) being named in his honor. Nolan's obituary in the Harlan Enterprise relates that "no other man in Kentucky had the distinction of having two railroad stations named for him", and that his home in Chad was a source of entertainment and hospitality for many a traveler and friend who passed through town.

   Nolan's prominence in Harlan County eventually culminated in his being nominated for a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1901. Taking his seat at the start of the 1902-04 session, Nolan would represent not only Harlan County but also those of Bell, Perry, and Leslie and would sit on the committees on Public Warehouses and Granaries and Suffrage and Elections. During his brief time in state government, Nolan is referred to as an "active adherent" to the construction of a new state capitol building and introduced a bill that would change the name of the Harlan County seat from Mt. Pleasant to Harlan. Confusingly, Nolan's obituary in the Harlan Enterprise records him as having served two consecutive terms in the legislature (1900-1904). This happens to be false, as the aforementioned roster of Kentucky representatives lists Nolan as serving from 1902-04, with no mention of his name appearing in the 1900-02 roster. 

   Following his time in the legislature, Chadwell Nolan continued to be a figure of distinction in Harlan County, maintaining an active role in his community up until his death via a train accident on December 23, 1923. On that date, Nolan had taken a stroll when he stopped near railroad tracks to let a rapidly moving freight train pass by him. Having "stepped back" to let the train pass, Nolan was unaware of a "switch train" that was following close behind the freight train and was struck in the back by it. The injured Nolan was placed in a caboose on the train and was then taken to a hospital in Lynch, Kentucky, where he later died of his injuries. A burial location for him remains unknown at this time but is presumed to be somewhere in the vicinity of Harlan County, where Nolan had resided for all of his life.