A
"Kingmaker's" home. Morton Albaugh's residence, which is within a
block of the black church---Lane's Chapel, This was on the edge of the
3rd ward and a couple blocks from "Mudtown"--the city's SE section(
according to Needham's Pocket Map of Topeka 1882) This house was built
for Albaugh , a newspaper owner, clerk of the US District court, head of
the KS Republican party from about 1898 through the teens. (1331 Harrison)
Albaugh was a cohort of William Allen White and Cy Leland (the "boss" of the Kansas Republican party from Doniphan County).
Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent person, pg. 514-515 , v. III
Morton Albaugh, clerk of the United States district court, at Topeka, was
reared a farmer boy in Martin county, Indiana, where he was born, Feb. 10, 1862,
and is a namesake of Indiana's great war governor, Oliver P. Morton. He is a son
of Samuel Albaugh and wife, Leah Slates, both of whom were natives of Carroll
county, Ohio, and were married there in 1852, removing from there to Martin
county, Indiana, in 1853, where the father is still living and has resided for
nearly sixty years; the mother having died in February, 1910, aged seventy-nine
years. They were the parents of eight children, four sons
and four daughters, all of whom are living and reside in Martin county, Indiana,
except Morton, and a sister, Emma, who resides in Colorado. Named in order of
birth they are: John Perry, a general merchant at Shoals; Jane, who is Mrs.
Jacob Ruggless of Shoals; William C.; Oscar; Morton; Martha, who is Mrs. Charles
Dowell; Emma, who is Mrs. George Truax of Breckenridge, Col.; and Mary, who is
Mrs. James Williams.
Morton Albaugh was educated in the district schools of Martin county and in the
Southwestern Normal College, at Mitchell, Ind. In early manhood he taught five
terms of school, beginning that vocation at the age of sixteen. When nineteen
years of age he became principal of the schools at Amo, Ind., and served as such
two years, after which, in 1883, when twenty-one years of age, he came to Kansas
and for one year was principal of the public schools at Kingman, Kan. He then
turned his attention to newspaper work, having purchased the "Saratoga Sun," and
continued to publish that paper at Saratoga, Kan., for nearly three years, or
until the town had practically ceased to be. He then returned to Kingman and
purchased the "Kingman Leader." A year later he purchased the "Courier," of the
same place, and consolidated the two papers into the "Leader-Courier," of which
paper he was the owner and editor until January, 1909, and of which he still
retains an interest. Mr. Albaugh took a lively interest in politics as a
Republican from the time he came to Kansas and is recognized as one of the most
able and astute politicians in the state. He became a member of the Republican
state central committee in 1890, and continued to be a member of it continuously
until 1908, being its chairman six years. In 1904 he was one of the active
supporters of E. N. Morrill for governor, and after the latter's election Mr.
Albaugh was made president of the State Board of Charities, serving as such two
years. In 1898 he had charge of W. E. Stanley's race for governor and was made
the chairman of the state Republican committee that year; he was reƫlected
chairman of that committee in 1900 and had charge of W. J. Bailey's canvass for
governor in 1902, which resulted in the election of the latter. Later Mr.
Albaugh for the third time was made chairman of the state Republican committee,
the only time that any man has thus been honored in this state. In 1900 he was
appointed bank examiner by Governor Stanley and served in that capacity nearly
four years, resigning in 1904 to accept his present position, which is that of
clerk of the United States district court, having been appointed to that office
by Judge John C. Pollard.
On Sept. 28, 1890, occurred the marriage of Mr. Albaugh and Miss Eula L.
Houghton of Loogootee, Ind. Mr. Albaugh and his wife have two children:
Houghton, aged eighteen, and Kathryn, aged sixteen. Mr. Albaugh is a
Thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Knight Templar. He is also a
member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
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