Wyandotte Constitutional Convention - Non-delegate officers
Besides the delegates at Wyandotte Constitutional Convention, the efforts of other were required to make procedure run smoothly. These men were the non-delegate officers.
John A. Martin, Atchison, Atchison County, Editor.
Although not a delegate and only 21 years old, John A. Martin, a future governor of Kansas, was chosen secretary to the convention. Martin was already a respected and successful editor (Freedom's Champion, formerly the Squatter Sovereign) and had helped found the Kansas Republican Party in May 1859. He distinguished himself during his Civil War service, before resuming his journalism career. The Atchison editor and veteran was active in the Grand Army of the Republic, and in 1875 Martin was among a group of Kansas editors who founded the Kansas State Historical Society. He served as governor of the State of Kansas from 1885-1889 and died in Atchison on October 2, 1889, just eight months after finishing his second term.
Assistant Secretaries
- A. J. Blanchard, Lawrence, Douglas County, Republican, age 26, from Massachusetts.
- Samuel F. Tappan, Lawrence, Douglas County, Republican, age 28, from Massachusetts.
- Ed. S Nash, Olathe, Johnson County, Republican, age 24, from Massachusetts.
Journal Clerks
- R. St. Clair Graham, Atchison, Atchison County, Republican, age 22, from Pennsylvania.
- Richard J. Hinton, Lawrence, Douglas County, Republican, age 28, from England.
G. F. Warren, Baldwin City, Douglas County, Republican, age 37, from Maine.
The convention's sergeant-at-arms was a farmer, born in Maine, who moved to Kansas Territory from New Hampshire in 1854.
J. M. Funk, Wyandotte, Wyandotte County, Republican, age 37, from Pennsylvania.
The convention's door keeper was a 37-year-old land agent who came to Kansas from his native Pennsylvania in 1856.
W. R. Davis, Baldwin City, Douglas County, Republican, age 44, from Ohio.
The convention's chaplain was a clergyman and former Whig who moved to Kansas Territory from Illinois in 1858.
Entry: Wyandotte Constitutional Convention - Non-delegate officers
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: July 2009
Date Modified: July 2011
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
