Koscie Harlow Marsh (1902-1969)

From the Minnesota Voter's Guide, 1954.

  An obscure resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, Koscie Harlow Marsh was a three-time Democratic Farmer-Labor candidate for Minnesota Secretary of State between 1948 and 1954, and despite the dearth of resources mentioning him, is certainly worthy of a profile here! The son of Edward Thomas and Emma Lavina (Lirely) Marsh, Koscie Harlow Marsh was born in Emmetsburg, Palo Alto County, Iowa on October 12, 1902. While little information exists on Marsh's formative years and early education, it is known that he was a graduate of the University of Minnesota and, after resettling in that state, was employed as a druggist in the St. Paul area.

  On Christmas Day 1938 Koscie Marsh married to Amy Olivia Roseland Asleson (1906-1995), to who he was wed until his death in 1969. The couple would remain childless. Active in the civic life of St. Paul, Marsh was a member of the Eagles and Moose Lodges, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and the local Masonic chapter. Sources denote Marsh as a veteran of WWII, being a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, though no information could be found as to his area of deployment or term of enlistment.

   A longstanding member of Minnesota's Democratic Farmer Labor party, Koscie Marsh won that party's nomination for Secretary of State of Minnesota in the 1948 primary and that November opposed longtime Republican incumbent Mike Holm. Despite a strong showing that November with 447,028 votes, Marsh lost out to Holm, who polled 746,678 votes. Holm continued service until his death in office in 1952 and was later succeeded by his wife Virginia, who was appointed to the post.

  With Holm's 1952 death, an election was held to choose his successor, and that year Koscie Marsh again was a candidate for that office. After winning the Democratic Farmer Labor primary in September with 82,650 votes, Marsh lost the general election to Virginia Holm, who served as secretary until her own defeat in November 1954. In the last-named year, Marsh made a third run for office but went down to defeat in that year's primary, losing to Joseph L. Donovan by a 140,000 vote margin.

   Koscie Harlow Marsh's life after 1954 largely remains a mystery, excepting notice of his being the executive secretary of the Greater Forest Lake Association (GFLA) in the late 1950s. He died in Minnesota on February 15, 1969, aged 66 and was survived by his wife Amy. Following her own death in 1995 she was interred alongside her husband at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Brockenbrough Beverly Andrews (1838-1909)

Portrait courtesy of Find-a-Grave.

  Russellville, Kentucky resident Brockenbrough Beverly Andrews possesses one of the more lengthy first names to be featured here on the site and hiding behind that odd name lies the story of a man who, in addition to being a Confederate veteran and pharmacist in Russellville, served as mayor of that city for over a decade. In addition to achievement in local politics, Andrews was a distinguished club man in his state, being Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias for Kentucky. 

  A native of Tennessee, Brockenbrough Beverly "B.B." Andrews was born in the town of Franklin on July 4, 1838, the son of Mark Lyell (1796-1878) and Eliza (Dean) Andrews. A student in schools local to Tennessee, Andrews decided upon a medical career at an early age and would enroll at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. After graduating from that school's medical department in 1859 Andrews established his practice in Franklin. He would marry that same year to his first wife, Louisa Elizabeth Lockridge, about whom little is known. 

  At the dawn of the Civil War, Andrews cast his lot with the Confederacy, and after enlisting in the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry, served under the command of Col. James Wellborn Starnes and Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. He served through the duration of the war and surrendered in May of 1865. Following his leaving the Confederate Army Andrews remarried in February 1868 to Martha Easley Wilson (1842-1911), to who he was wed until his death. The couple would have two sons, Phillip Cook (1870-1931) and Clarence Wilson. Of these children, Phillip Cook Andrews followed his father into medicine and politics, serving three terms as mayor of Russellville between 1911 and 1921. 

    Residing in Franklin, Tennessee until 1882, B.B. Russell relocated with his family to Russellville, Kentucky that year and would continue in the druggist trade in that city, later being joined by his two sons. Andrews also attained high rank in the Knights of Pythias in that state, serving as a Grand Inner Guard in 1889 and in the early 1890s was named as  Grand Chancellor for Kentucky.  Sources also denote Andrews as treasurer of the Logan County chapter of the American Bible Society's auxiliary, serving from 1900-01.

  Andrews began his political career in 1891 when he took office as mayor of Russellville and would continue in that post for at least fourteen years, his last term concluding in 1905. Andrews died four years later on March 10, 1909, of "acute gastritis" and was survived by his wife Martha. Following her death two years after her husband, Martha Wilson Andrews was interred alongside him at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Russellville. 

From the Louisville Courier-Journal, March 18, 1909.

Archippus Floyd Barrett (1870-1926)

Barrett as he looked during his mayoralty.

  Alamance County, North Carolina resident Archippus Floyd Barrett served eight years as mayor of the city Burlington, and in addition to his mayoralty carved out a notable career for himself as a pharmacist in that city. Born on March 15, 1870, in Person County, North Carolina, Archippus Floyd "Chip" Barrett was the son of Aaron and Rebecca Ann (Carver) Barrett. Sharing a first name with a figure briefly mentioned in the New Testament, Barrett's first name also has a variation in spelling, being spelled with both a double "p" and a single "p". However, numerous Burlington city directories (as well as Barrett's own death certificate from 1926) record the spelling as "Archippus", and it is that spelling that is given here.

  There exists a dearth of resources regarding Barrett's early life or education, excepting notice of his entering the druggist's trade at an early age. In the 1880s he was employed by the R.A. Morton & Co. drug store in the town of Roxboro and in October 1891 married to Margaret E. Pentecost (1872-1940). The couple were wed until Barrett's passing in 1926 and had five children, Essie Mae (1894-1959), Carl Victor (1898-1960), Raymon Ellis (1899-1971), Clifford Edwin (1902-1978), and Archippus Floyd Jr. (1913-2001). 

  Removing to Burlington in 1894, "Chip" Barrett soon joined the R.A. Freeman Drug Co., where for more than two decades he worked in the prescription department. Sources also denote Barrett and R.A. Freeman as being the co-managers of the Burlington Opera House from 1906-07, their full dates of service remaining unknown at this time. 

  By 1903 Barrett's love for his adopted city and popularity amongst its citizens led to his being nominated for mayor that year. He would win that election and for the next several years was continually reelected, his last term concluding in 1911. Barrett's mayoralty saw multiple improvements made to city infrastructure, including the introduction of city street lights in 1904, and in 1908-09 Barrett and the board of aldermen gave the go-ahead for the installation of:

"Another steam generating unit at the power plant on Hawkins Street; also a deep well; a frog tight reservoir and water and sewer lines. And to furnish sufficient pressure for hydrants, an elevated steel tank was erected on a knoll northeast of the old railroad shops."

   In addition to the numerous structural improvements made during his terms, Barrett's mayoralty also saw the Burlington city hall move to more respectable quarters on the second floor of the C.G. Moore building, prior to the construction of an actual city hall building in 1915. After leaving office Barrett continued as a druggist with the Freeman Drug Co. and in 1913 was named to the city Water, Light, and Power Commission in the wake of the resignation of J. Ed Moore, who had been elected as mayor.
  Archippus Floyd Barrett died at his home in Burlington on March 8, 1926, one week shy of his 56th birthday. His cause of death is given as influenza (as per his death certificate.) He was survived by his children and wife Margaret, who, following her death in 1940, was interred alongside her husband at the Pine Hill Cemetery in Burlington.

Tupper Smyth Malone (1872-1935)

From the Marin County Tocsin, October 22, 1910.

  San Rafael, California resident Tupper Smyth Malone was a transplant to that city from Arkansas, and following his settlement established himself as a pharmacist, a vocation that he continued to follow for a number of years. Active in Democratic politics in the city, Malone would win election to the city board of education and reached his highest degree of political notoriety in 1910 when he was nominated for California state treasurer. Born in Arkansas on January 26, 1872, Tupper Smyth Malone was the son of Spaulding and Theresa (Smyth) Malone. 

  Malone's early life largely remains a mystery, with no information available on his education or formative years. In the mid-1890s he was a partner in the jewelry firm of M.C. and Tup Malone in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and later decided to remove west, and after settling in San Rafael would become manager and owner of the San Rafael Pharmacy. Malone later returned to Arkansas in February 1897 to marry Lenora Adella Sullivan (1873-1966) in the town of Waldron. In the weeks following their wedding, the couple undertook an "extended tour" of St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento before settling in San Rafael. The couple's near forty-year marriage would see the births of at least three children, Camilla, George, and James. 

  After establishing roots in San Rafael, Tupper Malone built up a prosperous pharmacy, and by 1908 owned three additional drug stores in California, located in Larkspur, San Anselmo, and Mill Valley. Additional financial success came Malone's way when he became an organizer and stockholder in the Portuguese-American Bank in San Francisco, his full dates of service with that bank being unknown at this time. Malone's business savvy saw he and his family residing in a palatial home on Palm Avenue in San Rafael, which is pictured below.

From the Overland Monthly, Vol. 38, 1900.

  Tupper S. Malone first entered San Rafael politics in 1899 when he was an unsuccessful candidate for city treasurer. A candidacy for supervisor for San Rafael's 1st district followed in 1906, and around 1900 was elected to the city board of education for the first of several terms. His time on that board saw him chair the building committee, "which remodeled the old and built several new schools, getting good sites and buildings, and using home architects and builders to do the work." 

  In June 1910 Tupper Malone entered into the Democratic race for State Treasurer of California and in August of that year won the Democratic primary. In the latter part of that year, he took to the campaign trail and would "tour the northern counties" promoting his candidacy, as well as that of gubernatorial candidate Theodore Bell. Through the 1910 election year, Malone's candidacy was touted in several California newspapers, including the Marin County Tocsin, which remarked that:

"Mr. Malone is one of our most substantial citizens and has been a resident of this city and county for many years. At present he is one of our capable school directors. For many years he was the proprietor of the San Rafael pharmacy. During all of his residency here he has made many friends and has won for himself the reputation as a fair-dealing, efficient, painstaking businessman and a faithful public servant."

  Malone's Republican opponent that year was incumbent treasurer William A. Williams, who had taken office in 1907. On election day in November it was Williams who was victorious, and in an electoral shellacking trounced Malone, 204,922 votes to 103, 426. In the years following his defeat Malone continued work as a druggist, operating the Blackburn Pharmacy in Petaluma, and in 1914 is recorded as being the manager of the Cooks' Water Company. He later moved his pharmacy to Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood in 1921, but remained there only a year, removing his store to Bell, a suburb of Los Angeles in 1922. 
   The final years of Malone's life saw he and his wife residing in Bell and in the 1927 primary election year was an unsuccessful aspirant for the Los Angeles City Council. In the year prior to his death, Malone again was a candidate for state treasurer but failed to get his candidacy to extend past the August Democratic primary. Tupper S. Malone died on January 17, 1935, shortly before his 63rd birthday. His wife Lenora survived her husband by over thirty years, and following her death at age 93 in 1966 was interred alongside her husband at the Rose Hills Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Orceneth Asbury Fly (1894-1976)

Portrait from the Hondo Anvil Herald, April 6, 1955.

   A longtime civic leader and prominent citizen in Hondo, Texas, Orceneth Asbury Fly can rightfully be called the oddest named mayor this Medina County city ever produced, and in addition to his two terms as mayor was a druggist in that city for over five decades. Born in Utopia, Texas on February 16, 1894, Orceneth Asbury "O.A." Fly was the son of John Sidney and Annalee (Fisher) Fly. Bestowed the unusual name Orceneth Asbury upon his birth, Fly's unusual name may have a connection to Orceneth Asbury Fisher (1803-1880), a widely known Methodist minister who spent a good portion of his later life in Texas.

  O.A. Fly attended school in Hondo and following graduation from that city's high school continued study at the Coronel Institute in San Marcos and the University of Texas' Pharmacy School at Galveston. Following his graduation in January 1917 Fly began his career as a pharmacist, briefly residing in Laredo and San Antonio before returning to Hondo. He married in May 1917 to Willie LeRoy Barton (1894-1967), to whom he was wed for fifty years. The couple's union would produce four children, Orceneth Asbury Jr. (1918-1972), Frances Ruth (1921-2004), William Sidney (born 1925), and the Rev. Richard Fly (1930-1959).

  In January 1919 Fly returned to Hondo and shortly after his return "purchased a half interest" in the Martin Drug Store. Following the purchase, the store underwent a name change to the Fly Drug Co. He would remain connected with this business for over fifty years (retiring in January 1970) and was later joined by his sons William Sidney and Orceneth Asbury Jr., the latter also being a surgeon based in Houston. During its existence, the Fly Drug Co. would carry not only medical supplies and pharmaceuticals but also "sundries, candy, tobacco, gift items, school supplies and the like", as well as sporting goods.

   While prominent in Hondo business circles, O.A. Fly also stood tall in city civic affairs, being a past president of the Chamber of Commerce and Hondo Lions Club, a past master of the local Masonic lodge, as well as a Shriner. Fly also was a longstanding member of the Southwest Texas Pharmaceutical Association and the National Association of Retail Druggists.

   O.A. Fly entered Hondo's political life in the late 1940s when he was elected to the city council. In February 1953 Fly announced his candidacy for mayor of Hondo, following incumbent mayor Bob Kollman's announcement that he wouldn't be seeking reelection. In April of that year, Fly won the mayoralty and would serve two terms in that post. Upon entering the mayor's office, Fly envisioned a bright future for Hondo, remarking

"I want many things for Hondo but especially I would like to see all our streets paved, curbs and sidewalks laid, a federal building, a city hall,  a city library, a large park and city playground. Also, I would like for Hondo to have a zoning ordinance, a standard building code, improved traffic regulations, a stricter enforcement on vaccinating and tagging dogs, a cleaner city and a continuation of the friendly hospitality with which Hondoans make visitors and newcomers feel at home in Hondo."

O.A. Fly at work, from the February 17, 1967 Hondo Anvil Herald.

   Fly's second term as mayor concluded in April 1957 and was succeeded by Dr. Thomas Knopp. In 1967 Fly celebrated not only the five-decade anniversary of his entering the druggist trade but also his fiftieth wedding anniversary. He and his wife were subsequently feted with a large party at their home in June of that year, which was attended by over 150 guests from all across the country. Sadly, just two months following their anniversary, Willie Barton Fly died at age 72. In the year following his wife's passing O.A. Fly remarried to Emilia "Millie" Eckhart, to whom he was wed until her death in April 1974. 
  In January 1970 the Fly Drug Co. was purchased from Fly and his son William by Dan B. Conoly Jr., with the business continuing under the name Dan's Drug Inc. Following his retirement O.A. Fly continued prominence in Hondo, being a member of the Board of Stewards for the Hondo Methodist Church. He died in that city on February 3, 1976, just two weeks shy of his 82nd birthday. He was later interred alongside his wife Willie at the Oakwood Cemetery in the Hondo cemetery complex.

Cadalzo A. Dockstader (1861-1944)

   Possessing a truly unique first name, Cadalzo Dockstader was a locally prominent citizen in both St. Joseph County, Michigan, and later, Syracuse, New York. Born in Nevada County, California on July 2, 1861, Cadalzo was one of three children born to Giles Fonda and Mary Louise Keller Dockstader. Giles and his wife had migrated from Michigan to California sometime previously, and at some point following their son's birth removed back to the Michigan area, settling in the county of St. Joseph.

  Cadalzo Dockstader enrolled at the Michigan State Agricultural College at East Lansing, graduating from this school in August 1882. A short while later he became engaged as a druggist in the city of Three Rivers, becoming a partner of Henry Hall in the pharmacy office of Hall and Dockstader. Their business is recorded as being "one of the oldest drug stores in Three Rivers" as well as being dealers in peppermint oil. Dockstader himself is referred to as a "dealer in domestic essential oils, farmer and druggist" in a publication by his Alma mater. In the late 1880s, Dockstader married Eva Belle Jackson (1865-1917) with whom he would have one daughter, Mary Jane (1889-1922). 

  While prominent as a druggist in his community, Dockstader gained further notoriety in 1896 when he was elected Mayor of the city of Three Rivers, which had been incorporated as a municipality a short while before. Dockstader was the second man to serve as mayor of the city (succeeding Marvin H. Bumphrey) and held office from April 1897 to April 1899. Two years after his term as Mayor had concluded, Dockstader won election as a Probate Judge for St. Joseph County, serving on the bench until 1905. 

   A few years after the conclusion of his term as judge, the Dockstader family removed from Three Rivers to Syracuse, New York, where they would reside for the rest of their lives. Within a few years of his relocation to the Empire State Dockstader had established business roots in Onondaga County, becoming an "apple orchidist" and was Secretary of the Onondaga Orchid Co. in the town of Fabius. He served in the capacity of Secretary-Treasurer of the North Syracuse Light and Power Company during the early 1920s and in addition to the proceeding held the Presidency of the Cicero State Bank at Cicero, New York for an indeterminate length of time. Eva Dockstader died of an undisclosed illness in Syracuse in November 1917 at age 52, and Cadalzo never remarried following her death. Five years following his wife's passing Dockstader was dealt another tragedy when his only daughter Mary Jane died at age 33. 

  In 1929 Dockstader reentered the political forum, launching a campaign for Mayor of North Syracuse, New York. Dockstader ran as a "non-partisan candidate" and faced off against Republican Ernest Conway during the contest. On election day Dockstader emerged victorious, besting Conway by a close vote of 312 to 302. Two newspaper snippets concerning the election (both of which appeared in the Syracuse Journal in March 1929) are located below. Dockstader's one term as Mayor ended in 1931, and it is worth noting that he is the first oddly named politician profiled here on the site who served as a Mayor in two different states.

  Little else is known of Dockstader's life after he left office, and one can presume that he carried on with his earlier agricultural and banking interests in Onondaga County. Cadalzo Dockstader died at the Duryee Nursing Home in Syracuse on December 15, 1944, at age 83 and was shortly thereafter cremated. His remains were later interred at the North Syracuse Cemetery. The rare portrait of him shown above was found in the 1895 work Headlight Flashes Along the Michigan Central Line, which highlighted important civic and business leaders in the Three Rivers area.

From the December 16, 1944 edition of the Syracuse Journal.