County Commissioniers & Supervisors

SOURCE: Booklet put out during the courthouse centennial in 1997 titled "History of Clinton County Courthouses."

Board of County Commissioners

From the organization of Clinton county until 1851, the management of the county was in the hands of a board of county commissioners, three in number, chosen by the people.  The act organizing the county in January, 1840, appointed the commissioners and they were as follows:

Elijah Buell
George Griswold and
Robert C. Bourne

The next county commissioners were

Robert C. Bourne
Eli Goddard
and Elijah Buell

Mr. Bourne, having the highest number of votes cast, was declared elected for three years, Goddard for two years and Buell for one year.

The creation of the office of county judge (the "one-man" power) in 1851, abolished the county commissioner system and so obtained until the township system was established in 1860, when each township had a supervisor and the county judge's office was little more than an office to attend to probate matters.

The first meeting of the regular board of supervisors convened at DeWitt, January 7, 1861.  The board consisted of the following gentlemen:

Berlin township, John A. Hyde
Bloomfield township, Robert Williams
Brookfield township, John S. Maxwell
Camanche township, J. V. Van Epps
Center township, J. Henry Smith
Clinton township, J. Van De Venter
Deep Creek township, J. McLellan
DeWitt township, John F. Homer
Eden township, R. B. Millard
Elk River township, George A. Griswold
Hampshire township, Elbert Hammond
Liberty township, James Cummings
Lyons township, Norman Boardman
Olive township, James Vance
Orange township, A. S. Allison
Sharon township, Arthur Lillie
Spring Rock township, S. H. Rogers
Washington township, Patrick Lawler
Waterford township, John Crouch
Welton township, R. J. Crouch
Norman Boardman was elected chairman and Loring Wheeler, clerk of the board.

County Supervisors

During the existence of this supervisor system (one from each civil township) the following served in such capacity:

Berlin Township: 
1861 John Hyde
1862 Alfred Warren (died in office and term filled out by Abram Correll)
1863-65 Abram Correll
1866-67 Thomas S. Flathers
1868-69 J. S. Risley
1870 C. L. Sherwood

Bloomfield Township:
1861-62 Robert Williams
1863-64 Amos Morse
1865-66 Levi Kettle
1867-70 Benjamin Spencer

Camanche Township:
1861-62 J. V. Van Epps
1863-64 Oscar A. Anthony
1865-66 A. B. Ireland
1867-68 Horace Anthony
1869-70 Homer Carpenter

Center Township:
1861 J. Henry Smith
1862 Rufus A. Traver
1863-68 John A. Young
1869-70 Thomas Murphy

Clinton Township:
1861 James Van De Venter
1862-63 G. A. Rogers
1864-65 W. F. Coan
1866-67 M. H. Tyrell
1868-69 John A. Young
1869-70 Thomas Murphy

Deep Creek Township:
1861 James McLellan (resigned: G. W. Davis appointed)
1862-64 Thomas Watts
1865-66 Daniel Conrad
1867-68 Thomas Watts
1869-70 Darius Wilcox

DeWitt Township:
1861 John F. Homer
1862-63 Thomas F. Butterfield
1864-67 Loring Wheeler
1868-69 William Familton
1870 Samuel Saddoris

Eden Township:
1861 R. B. Millard (resigned: Silas Freeman appointed)
1862 Silas Freeman
1863-64 L. D. Winne
1864-65 Benjamin Palmer
1866 E. R. Townsend
1867 Enoch F. Byng
1868 E. R. Townsend
1869-70 Henry Muhs

Elk River Township:
1861 George A. Griswold
1862-63 John Lowry
1864-65 Thomas Calderwood
1866-67 George A. Griswold
1868-69 Hiram Polley
1870 Henry Ingwersen

Hampshire Township:
1861-65 Elbert Hammond
1866 George B. Pearce
1867-70 E. Albright

Liberty Township:
1861-62 James Cummings
1863-64 James Devitt
1865-70 George W. Thorn

Lyons Township:
1861 Norman Boardman
1862-65 A. C. Root
1866-67 Norman Boardman
1868-69 David H. Scott
1870 A. C. Root and D. H. Scott

Olive Township:
1861 James Vance
1862-65 Leroy D. Dutton
1868-69 J. W. S. Robinson
1870 William Scott

Orange Township:
1861-62 A. S. Allison
1863-66 Hiram Brown
1867-68 Archibald Buchanan
1869-70 John R. Merrill

Sharon Township:
1861 Arthur Lillie
1862-63 B. F. Monroe
1864-67 Steven Bennett
1868-69 A. C. Bligh
1870 A. A. Gardner

Spring Rock Township:
1861 S. H. Rogers
1862 James A. Hicks
1863 C. E. Leffingwell, appointed
1864-65 S. H. Templeton
1866-67 N. M. Everhart
1868-69 Jesse Stine
1870 George Goddard

Washington Township:
1861-64 Patrick Lawler
1865-68 Patrick Craney
1869-70 Patrick Lawler

Waterford Township:
1861-64 John Crouch
1865-66 John Preffer
1867-68 A. J. Albright
1869-70 Henry Nurre

Welton Township:
1861 R. J. Crouch
1862 N. N. Walrod
1863-66 S. O. Webster
1867-68 T. A. Maxson
1869-70 A. G. Clement


Supervisors Under Present System

The system of supervisors was originated in 1860, and from that year to 1870 there was one supervisor from each township, making a board of twenty members.  In 1870 the change to the present method of a board of three members was made, and since then the boards for each year have been as follows:

1871: Jessie Stine, Carl H. Ingwersen, Charles H. Toll
1872: Jessie Stine, Charles H. Toll, J. L. Stamen
1873: Charles H. Toll, J. L. Stamen, John Shambaugh
1874: J. L. Stamen, John Shambaugh, Francis Brogan
1875: John Shambaugh, Francis Brogan, William Lake
1876:  William Lake, Henry Nurre, Arthur Lillie
(By an error in printing the ballots the wrong man was elected, it being the intention to vote for B. A. Lillie, a brother of Arthur.  Arthur Lillie resigned and B. A. Lillie was duly appointed and served during the year.)
1877: William Lake, Henry Nurre, Claus C. Ruus
1878: Henry Nurre, Claus C. Russ, William Lake
1879: Claus C. Ruus, William Lake, Edward Svendsen
1880: William Lake, Edward Svendsen, Claus C. Ruus
1881: Edward Svendsen, Claus C. Ruus, L. T. Sloan
1882: Claus C. Ruus, L. T. Sloan, Henry Nurre
1883: Henry Nurre, L. N. Frazier, Henry Muhs (to fill vacancy)
1884: Henry Nurre, L. N. Frazier, Henry Muhs
1885: L. N. Frazier, Henry Muhs, M. F. Quigley
1886: Henry Muhs, M. F. Quigley, L. N. Frazier
1887: M. F. Quigley, L. N. Frazier, Henry Muhs
1888: L. N. Frazier, Henry Muhs, M. F. Quigley
1889: Henry Muhs, M. F. Quigley, L. S. Harrington
1890: M. F. Quigley, L. S. Harrington, Godber Hansen
1891: L. S. Harrington, Godber Hansen, Michael Sullivan
1892: Godber Hansen, Michael Sullivan, L. S. Harrington
1893: Michael Sullivan, L. S. Harrington, Godber Hansen
1894: L. S. Harrington, Godber Hansen, Claus C. Ruus
1895: Godber Hansen, Claus C. Ruus, George D. Staggs
1896: Claus C. Ruus, George D. Staggs, Peter B. Ingwersen
1897: George D. Staggs, Peter B. Ingwersen, Claus C. Ruus
1898: Peter B. Ingwersen, Claus C. Ruus, H. Hart
1899: Claus C. Ruus, H. Hart, Hubert Burken
1900: Hubert Burken, L. N. Frazier, Matthias Gohlmann (to fill vacancy)
1901: Hubert Burken, L. N. Frazier, Matthias Gohlmann
1902: L. N. Frazier, Matthias Gohlman, Hurbert Burken
1903: Matthias Gohlmann, Hubert Burken, George W. Mowry
1904: Hubert Burken, George W. Mowry, Albert H. Stuedermann
1905: George W. Mowry, Albert H. Steudermann, Thomas E. Hauke
1906: Albert H. Steudermann, Thomas E. Hauke, Charles Mordhorst
1907: Thomas E. Hauke, Charles Mordhorst, Albert H. Steudermann
1908: Charles Mordhorst, Albert H. Steudermann, Thomas E. Hauke
1909: Albert H. Steudermann, Thomas E. Hauke, Charles Mordhorst
1910: Thomas E. Hauke, Charles Mordhorst, Frank Kearney