Urbanus Stout Saunders (1884-1955)

From the Rittman Press, October 29, 1936.

  Certainly one of the more unusually named jurists to be featured here this year, Urbanus Stout Saunders was a Wayne County, Ohio-based attorney who served two decades as Wayne County Judge of Probate. In addition to that office, Saunders had held local office in his hometown of Shreve, where he was mayor and city solicitor. A lifelong Ohioan, "U.S." Saunders was born near Shreve on November 18, 1884, the son of Moses (1859-1929) and Elsana (Stout) Saunders (1865-1956).

  A student in the Hazel Dell School in Franklin Township, Saunders graduated from the Shreve High School in 1904. He followed a teaching career early in his life, and in the 1900s turned his attention to law studies. He studied at the Ohio State University at Columbus from 1909-10, and later attended Ohio Northern University at Ada, graduating in 1911. Saunders was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1912, and established his practice in Shreve. In the year following he took office as mayor of Shreve, and served one term, 1913-1915. Saunders married during his term on April 30, 1914, to L. Pearl Ditmars (1885-1963), to who he was wed until his death. The couple had one daughter, Helen Saunders Wachtel (1915-2012).

  Following his term as mayor Urbanus Saunders was elected as city solicitor for Shreve, serving until his election as county probate judge in 1928. His time as solicitor saw Saunders come out against the projected raising of telephone rates in Shreve by the Ohio Telephone Company in 1928, and in the late 1920s is recorded as the manager of a minor league indoor baseball team, the Shreve East Enders. Newspaper reports of the time also denote Saunders as being a croquet aficionado, and in 1933 was the captain of a victorious "Shreve croquet team" that defeated their opponents in the neighboring town of Sterling.

   In 1928 U.S. Saunders announced his candidacy for Wayne County Judge of Probate, and in the November general election was elected. Remarked as the only Democratic candidate elected in Wayne County that year, Saunders was given a reception from his supporters, playfully being "kidnapped" by friends and placed in a mule-driven wagon, emblazoned with the sign "The Only Living Democrat in Captivity." In December he resigned as city solicitor and took his seat on the bench in January 1929.

From the Shreve News, November 14, 1928.

From the Akron Beacon Journal, January 8, 1939.

  Following his first term, U.S. Saunders proved popular with the Wayne County electorate and would be reelected to several further terms as judge. Following his third term victory in 1938, he was profiled in the "Camera Caravan Visits Wooster" section of the January 8, 1939 edition of the Akron Beacon Journal. Remarked as "brisk, homespun, and efficient", the Journal noted that he "doesn't want any truck with politics", and also revealed his full name.

  After two decades as judge Saunders was defeated for reelection in November 1948 by Republican Myron Brenneman. He left office in early 1949 and a short time later returned to private practice. In February 1952 he partnered with Harold K. Hitchcock in the firm of Saunders and Hitchcock, with offices in both Shreve and Wooster, Ohio. Their firm continued until Saunders's death at the Wooster Community Hospital on December 6, 1955, just hours after being admitted due to a heart ailment. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and 91-year old mother Elsana, and was interred at the Shreve Cemetery.

From the Mansfield News Journal, December 7, 1955.

Uz McMurtrie (1884-1960)

                    From the Centennial History of Grant County, Indiana, 1812-1912, Volume 2.

   The youthful-looking gentleman pictured above is Uz McMurtrie, a 1908 graduate of the Indiana State University at Bloomington who in 1916 was elected as Indiana State Treasurer. Elected at the ripe old age of 32, McMurtrie was one of the youngest men to ever occupy the state treasurer's office. McMurtrie's peculiar first name "Uz" has left me scratching my head in bewilderment, as I can't quite figure out why he was given his outstandingly different name!
   A lifelong resident of the Hoosier State, Uz McMurtrie was born in Attica, Indiana on July 12, 1884, one of five children born to William (1845-1916) and Elizabeth Georgetta Starr McMurtrie (1851-1924). The reasons behind William and Elizabeth bestowing the name "Uz" upon their son have been lost to history, but, as research has shown, the name looks to have had its origins in the Bible, where "Uz" is recorded as both a place (an ancient land mentioned in the Old Testament) and a person (Uz, the son of minor biblical figure Aram, who was himself the grandson of Noah.) During preparations for this article, I was ready to believe that the name "Uz" was short for "Uzziel" or "Uzziah' (both biblical names), but it appears that this wasn't the case--As shown in his 1917 draft registration card, McMurtrie did indeed have a very odd two-letter first name.
    Uz McMurtrie's early life was centered in the town of Attica, where he attended public schools.  He would go on to graduate from the Marion, Indiana High School and in 1904 entered the University of Indiana at Bloomington. His time at the university saw him serve as President of the 1908 graduating class whilst also being active in the student press, holding the posts of advertising manager of the college's Daily Student newspaper, and vice president of the Indiana Collegiate Press Association. McMurtrie completed his senior thesis on "The Separation of the Sources of State and Local Taxation" and graduated in the class of 1908 with his Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree.
   After graduating McMurtrie returned to Marion, Indiana, and entered politics in 1909, becoming the deputy treasurer of Grant County at age 25. He served three years in this capacity, and in November of 1912 was elected to a term as County Treasurer, gaining distinction as "the youngest county treasurer in the state." McMurtrie married during his term on February 11, 1914, in Marion to Elizabeth Hogan (1885-1965). One son was born to the couple, William Hogan McMurtrie (1917-1997), later to be in the employ of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in Los Angeles.

                                   Uz McMurtrie's senior class portrait from the 1908 Arbutus Yearbook.

   McMurtrie's ascension to the county treasurer's office at such a young age garnered him statewide coverage in newspapers of the time, many of which marked him for further success in the political field. He was returned to the office of county treasurer in the 1914 election year, winning, according to the Winchester Journal, "on his official record and by fearless, aggressive campaigning methods."
  During his second term as Grant County treasurer Uz McMurtrie announced that he would be entering as a Republican in the race for State Treasurer of Indiana. Formally entering the race in October 1915, McMurtrie's announcement received substantial press in the Winchester, Indiana Journal, which touted him as an "aggressive young republican", while also noting that:

"The showing made in 1912 marked McMurtrie for statewide notice and admiring comment, as the successful Republican candidate that year in Indiana was a political phenomenon. McMurtrie's still more remarkable vote in 1914, obtained in an impressive Republican fight and on his official record, put the Grant County man before his party as a logical aspirant for state honors."

                                                             From the Winchester Journal, October 13, 1915.

    Riding high on a crest of popularity, McMurtrie won the State Treasurer's office in the 1916 election, formally taking office in February 1917 at age 33, the youngest man ever elected to that office up to that time. He was re-elected as treasurer in the following year and served until the conclusion of this term in February 1921, being succeeded by fellow Republican Ora J. Davies (1874-1958).
    After leaving the treasury post, Uz McMurtrie spent a great deal of the remainder of his life actively engaged in the affairs of his alma mater, the University of Indiana. As one of the school's most distinguished graduates, McMurtrie was a two-time President of the Indiana University Alumni Association and was a past director of the executive committee of the Indiana University Foundation. In 1939 he was appointed to a vacancy on the Indiana University Board of Trustees, succeeding trustee Albert Raab, who had died some weeks previously. McMurtrie's membership on the board extended from 1939-1945 when he retired. In addition to his service to the university, McMurtrie also was acknowledged as an important financial mind in the state, with the Phi Kappa Psi Shield newsletter noting that:

"For many years he had corporate interests and had specialized in financial reorganizations and mergers."

   Following many decades of service to both Indiana and his alma mater, Uz McMurtrie died at age 74 on May 20, 1960. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth and son William and was interred at the Estates of Serenity Cemetery located in Marion, Indiana.

Uz McMurtrie (second from left) at a 1941 gathering of Indiana University trustees. Picture courtesy of the Archives Photograph Collection of Indiana State University at Bloomington.