Ed Overholser
Ed Overholser (June 20, 1869 - April 21, 1931) was the 16th mayor of Oklahoma City and a president of Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.[1]
Early life and career
Overholser was born in Sullivan, Indiana to Henry Overholser and Emma Hanna Overholser.[2] He was educated in public schools and attended a preparatory school for boys in Kansas.[3] He arrived in Oklahoma City on April 2, 1890, and took over the management of the Overholser Opera House.[3]
In the late 1890s, Overholser helped organized the townsites of Stroud, Wellston, Luther and Jones.[1] He entered public service and worked as the manager of the Oklahoma City waterworks department and was the first Secretary of the State Fair Association.[1] He also served as a school board member and as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners.[1] He was responsible for the large lake that was named in his honor, Lake Overholser.[1] Overholser married Allie Garrison on May 26, 1903, and had two children, one of whom survived.[3]
Mayor
Overholser won the race for mayor despite being a Republican in a strongly Democratic city.[3] He served from April 13, 1915 to December 24, 1918.[3]
Later life
Overholser became the President of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce from 1922 to 1927.[3] He was responsible for erasing the chamber's debt and increasing the membership to 5,000, an impressive feat at a time when only five cities in the U.S. claimed large memberships.[3] He was a member of a Masonic lodge, the Lutheran Church, and numerous clubs.[3] Illness took his life on April 21, 1931, in Oklahoma City.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Necrology", Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 9, p. 212. (accessed May 21, 2010).
- ↑ Henry Overholser
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Overholser, Edward Graham Mclain," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 21, 2010).