L. R. Kershaw
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L. R. Kershaw (Leroy Kershaw), (1880-1969), was one of the founding pioneers of the Muskogee Oklahoma area. He was a pioneer banker and cattleman from the area, and was one of the founders of the Eastern Oklahoma Electric Traction Company. He was a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1924, a candidate for the governor of Oklahoma, and was a pure-bred Aberdeen Angus breeder, with over 500 head of cattle. His prize-winning herd of black angus cattle brought buyers from all over the country to his 2,000 acre farm south of Muskogee.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Years
L.R. Kershaw, also known as Leroy Kershaw, was born in Elmwood, Illinois on December 6, 1880, to David R. Kershaw and Jennie M.(Cole) Kershaw [7,12]. He was an outstanding athlete in high school, and was a champion discus thrower in track & field events.
[edit] Oklahoma
In 1904, he graduated from the University of Illinois with a law degree [7, 12] by working his way through college. He worked by waiting tables, as a salesman for nursery stock and by selling real estate. One of the first professions he chose was as an Immigrant Agent for the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, also known as the Frisco railroad, selling land to farmers for farms along the wide railroad right-of way in Northeastern Oklahoma.He bought many farms along the way, and in 1904 he moved to Oklahoma. He was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Morris, (Indian Territory)Oklahoma and with the connections he had established with the railroad, he platted the town site of Morris, Oklahoma. The town of Morris was named after H. E. Morris [11], a railroad executive with the Frisco railroad. The railroad went right through the center of town, between Ft. Smith, Arkansas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The town of Morris was founded in 1904, before statehood. Oklahoma became a state in November, 1907.[citation needed]
In Morris, Oklahoma, many of the street names were named after towns he was familiar with in Illinois, during his early years, such as Elmwood, his place of birth, along with Pekin and Peoria. He also named a short street Frisco, after the railroad which brought him to Oklahoma, and after several Presidents, including Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson and after Ben Franklin, one of the early leaders of the new country, the United States.[citation needed]
[edit] A career in cattle
In 1912, he began a long career as a cattleman, with the initial purchase of a herd of registered Aberdeen Angus cattle from the Gatewood herd of Texas and the Nicholas herd in Iowa [2]. He recognized the potential of raising high-quality show and breeding stock of a breed of cattle which were well-suited for the short grass of Oklahoma and the long, dry summers. Angus cattle could be cross-bred with the Texas longhorn, and the product would be a hornless breed of cattle. Angus bulls were popular with cattle breeders for their first cow because the calves would be small, and easy to deliver for the new cows.
In 1918, one of his award-winning show steers, Muskogee Boy was offered for sale in a public auction held in the lobby of the Lee-Huckins Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City for the benefit of the American Red Cross. The auction brought $3.16 a pound for the steer, for a total of $5,828 for the Red Cross Fund. This was in the middle of World War I and the funds were used to help American soldiers. The coat from the steer was made into an overcoat for President Wilson and the meat was processed for General “Blackjack” Pershing’s staff in France. Later that year, Mr. Kershaw was elected President of the Southwest American Livestock Show, one of the premier livestock shows in the Southwest.
In 1919, L.R. Kershaw won the Grand Champion Steer trophy at the Southwest American Livestock Show in Oklahoma City. That same year, one of his prize bulls, Plowman, won the Grand Champion Bull trophy at the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City, MO.
As President of the Southwest Livestock Show, he recognized the need for a new facility to show cattle in Oklahoma City, which was founded in 1889. He convinced officials with the Armour packing house in Chicago to contribute $200,000 charged to advertising to go towards the construction of a Livestock Pavilion at the Oklahoma City stockyards. The fund raising began in 1920 and the new facility was completed in 1922.
He held a dispersion sale of his herd at his ranch south of Muskogee in 1920 and buyers came from all over the country to bid on some of Kershaw’s prize stock. One of the champion bulls in his herd, Plowman, a 53-time winner, was sold for the unheard of price of $40,000 [2]. He had intended to sell his complete herd at this sale, but instead held back one of his prize bulls and started all over with new cattle.
He continued to raise show and breeding cattle through 1948. At one time his herd was the second-largest registered Aberdeen Angus herd in the country. During the many years he raised and sold cattle, a number of luminaries would travel to his farm to bid on his prized cattle. They included J. C. Penney, the founder of the J. C. Penney stores; Tom Slick, a world-reknown oil man; C. R. Anthony, the founder of C. R. Anthony's stores; Armand Hammer, the Chairman of Occidental Petroleum and Robert S. Kerr, U. S. Senator from Oklahoma, and co-founder of the Kerr-McGee Company. His herd has been recognized as one of the Pioneer Herds of North America by the American Angus Association.
[edit] Republican National Convention
In 1924, he was appointed as a delegate to the Republican National Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio. He was instrumental in having the Puerto Rico delegation recognized in a convention that nominated Calvin Coolidge for the nomination [1]. While it is notable that Oklahoma was one of the few southern states that did not carry the Republican ticket, this election was the last one in modern history that New York City voted Republican, the first convention in history to be broadcast by nationwide radio and the first GOP convention to provide for equal representation by women.
That same year, he married Clara Amanda Harrison, of Terra Haute, Indiana. Their first child, Patricia Ann was born the next year, in 1925. In 1927 they produced their first set of twins, Robert Eugene and Elizabeth “Betty” Kershaw and in 1933 they produced a second set of twins, Jean Mary and Joan Mary Kershaw.
In 1930, Kershaw was a Republican candidate for the governor of the state of Oklahoma [1]. He withdrew early in the race when he observed that the populist Democratic candidate for governor, William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray would easily be elected in the heavily-Democratic Oklahoma. He was mentioned as a potential appointee to a number of other offices during that period, including the US Congress for the 2nd District in Oklahoma, for the State of Oklahoma Highway Commission, and for the Agricultural Credit Corporation during the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
[edit] Later Years
He served as a Director of the American Aberdeen-Angus Association from 1916 through 1920 [3]. During the Great Depression he was appointed by the Comptroller of the Currency, the lead regulator for National Banks at the time, as the receiver for a number of national banks, including the Security National Bank of Muskogee, [2] the Exchange National Bank of Muskogee, the McAlester Trust Company, Producer’s National Bank in Tulsa, Exchange National Bank in Tulsa, the Commercial National Bank in Independence, Kansas, the Security National Bank in Independence, Kansas, the First National Bank of Siloam Springs, Arkansas and a number of others. At one time, he was receiver for 13 banks during the depression.
During World War II he recognized the need to provide housing for the many returning veterans wishing to establish a home in Muskogee and he began platting residential subdivisions on the north and west side of Muskogee, to allow them to buy their first home a start raising a family. He financed many of these homes with his own capital, offering many first-time home buyers the opportunity to own their own home. These additions included Kershaw Heights, Kershaw Circle, Kershaw Acres, Home Acres 1st and 2nd Additions, Lincoln Park and Carver’s First Addition.
In 1943 he bought the former home of banker A. W. Patterson, located at 1320 West Okmulgee [9] and he continued to live there as his 5 children and many grandchildren grew up around a huge lot in the middle of town. The home had 5 bedrooms on the second floor and a large outdoor deck surrounded with rough-hewn Carthage stone quarried in Missouri. The home was built with a full basement with windows on 3 sides of the house, and had a complete finished attic. In later years, the home was equipped with an electric elevator which served passengers between the ground floor and the second floor of the home.
[edit] Death
He died at the age of 88 in Muskogee and left behind 28 grandchildren.
[edit] References
- Harlow's Weekly, April, 1930, A Republican Made to Order
[edit] External links
- [1]Outline bio details, The Political Graveyard
- [2][1] Lawsuit citation, as Bank Receiver
- [3][2] Herd Record, American Angus Association
- [4][3] Lawsuit citation, as Bank Receiver
- [5][4] History of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle, The New Breeder's Gazette, Chicago, pp. 589-592
- [6]"l%20r%20kershaw"&img=\\na0028\6799541\52379571.html Ada Weekly News, cattle sale results
- [7][ http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=uialumni&id=I2135] Alumni Record, University of Illinois
- [8][http://www.historic-homes-muskogee.com/images/pages/patterson.html Historic Homes of Muskogee, National Register of Historic Places
- [9][5] The Kershaw Home, 1320 West Okmulgee
- [10][6] Geneology Records, L R Kershaw
- [11][7] Origin of town name, Morris, Oklahoma
- [12][8] Alumni Records, University of Illinois, Student ID 2136
