Calhoun County MSGenweb

Calhoun County MS Courthouse History

 

Calhoun County Courier

Bruce, Miss.

_________

Vol 1    No. 24                           March 13, 1930

 

Ex-Treasurers of Calhoun County

 

The above subject might suggest something that has been lost to Calhoun county, but which we claim is still here, provided the editor spelled the word wrong and let it end with a Y, instead of ending with “ERS”.  To say, or to write about a Treasury of Calhoun county, we would have to put it in the plural form, because we are possessed with many different treasurys in this good out county. We have a treasury in our good farm lands, a treasury in our fair liberty-loving and justice-loving people, a treasury in pretty women. Oh, Lordy, just look what a fine subject we would have to branch out on - Calhoun’s treasurys.  But that was not the object of this sketch. The Ex-County Treasurers, the men who have constituted a part of the county’s officialdom in the past, and as far back as I can recollect.

 

The first County Treasurer within my individual recollection was Wiley C. Sugg. Just when his term began I do not recall, but he served until the year 1888. After this date Mr. Sugg moved to Webster county where he lived until a few years ago at a ripe old age.

 

The next Treasurer of the county was J. D. Therrel, a one-legged confederate soldier who served from 1888 to 1890, the term of the office of treasurer at that time being two years, He served only one term.

 

In 1890, and before the new state constitution had gone into effect making the office a four years term, Mr. W. J. Patterson became County treasurer for a two-years term until 1892, when he was reelected for a four years term and served until 1896, which was a longer term than any man had held the office.  Mr. Patterson is the first we come to as living Ex-Treasurers of the county, and now resides at Calhoun City.  He has since that time served one term in the state Legislature, from 1908-1912 and has acted as Mayor of this City several years. All of these positions he has filled with the highest of honor, efficiency and honesty.

 

The next sucessor [sic] of treasurer was J. C. Campbell, from 1896 to 1900. In those days this office was regarded as about the most important office of the county, and men of the very best character, stability and honesty were always chosen for the position but in later years the legislatures got to dabbling with the office and finally abolished it.  Very little was saved financially by the act, and we have thought it was a grave error, for most any citizen could go talk to the treasurer and find in a few minute just how the county stood financially in all its funds, where as under the new system of depositories requires much figuring, auditing, etc. and as a result the financial status is never known to the citizen and a taxpayer.

 

Our next county treasurer was J. A. Killingsworth who held the office for one term from 1900 to 1904. He, too, made a good official. The next in succession was Malley C. Stoddard, who assumed the office in 1904 and served until 1908. He was succeeded by Mr. H. G. Anderson, who was treasurer from 1908 to 1912. The last three have been dead for several years.

 

In 1912, W. T. Ragland assumed the office and served for a four years term, until 1916, and is still living. In 1916, M. C. Stoddard became treasurer again, but died during his term, and in a special election for the unexpired term Uncle Jim Hitt, of Slate Springs, was elected and served until 1920. He was succeeded in 1920 by C. S. Crutchfield who served until 1924. At the expiration of this term Crutchfield had killed the office, or else it killed him, politically, it’s hard to tell which. At any rate, he ran for Circuit Clerk immediately afterward and didn’t get it. Well many of us have run one time and did not get there, including ye scribe.

 

We were just about to leave out the last Treasurer of the county, however, Foss W. Martin was the last of the county Treasurers. It will be recalled that after the legislature had submitted the question of killing the office to a vote of the people in a popular election about 1921 or 1922, and said election carried, the office was not entirely abolished until the legislature met in 1924 and inserted said amendment into the state constitution, and in the last election in the fall of 1923, the name of F. W. Martin was placed on the ticket and he was therefore elected and served for some two or three months before the final death-knell was given to the office of the county Treasurer, though it had been badly crippled and practically a non-entity for some three or four terms, or ever since the legislature had been hammering on it.  We have five living Ex-Treasurers.

 

Well, so long, boys, we’ll try some of the others in our next.      J. B. Going