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William S. Cowherd
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 5th district
In office
March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1905
Preceded byRobert T. Van Horn
Succeeded byEdgar C. Ellis
29th Mayor of Kansas City
In office
1892–1894
Preceded byBenjamin Holmes
Succeeded byWebster Davis
Personal details
Born
William Strother Cowherd

(1860-09-01)September 1, 1860
near Lee's Summit, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 1915(1915-06-20) (aged 54)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Resting placeLee's Summit Historical Cemetery
Lee's Summit, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Jessie Kitchen
​
(m. 1899)​
Alma materUniversity of Missouri (AB, LLB)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer

William Strother Cowherd (September 1, 1860 – June 20, 1915) was a Democratic Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 1892–1894 and Congressman from Missouri from 1897–1905.

Early life

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William Strother Cowherd was born on September 1, 1860, to Emily (née Strother) and Charles J. Cowherd near Lee's Summit, Missouri. He attended schools in Lee's Summit. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1881 with a Bachelor of Arts and from the law school with a Bachelor of Laws in 1882.[1][2][3][4]

Career

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In 1882, Cowherd joined the Tichenor, Warner & Dean law firm. In 1883, Cowherd and John Campbell formed the Cowherd & Campbell law firm on Fifth Street in Kansas City.[4] Cowherd was prosecuting attorney of Jackson County, Missouri from 1885–1889.[1] In 1889, Cowherd formed the Teasdale, Ingraham, & Cowherd law firm with William B. Teasdale and R. J. Ingraham. It was later renamed Cowherd, Ingraham, Durham & Morse.[4] He became first assistant city counselor of Kansas City in 1890. He served as mayor of Kansas City in 1892. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1905).[1][4]

After failing to be re-elected to Congress, he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Missouri in 1908. In 1909, he moved to Pasadena, California, and continued to practice law.[1]

Personal life

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Cowherd married Jessie Kitchen of Kansas City on September 25, 1889.[3][4]

Cowherd died in Pasadena on June 20, 1915.[1][3] He is buried in Lee's Summit Historical Cemetery.[1][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f United States Congress. "COWHERD, William Strother (id: C000825)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  2. ^ "Cowherd an M.U. Alumnus". University Missourian. June 22, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ^ a b c "W. S. Cowherd, Former Congressman and Mayor, of Kansas City, is Dead". The Daily Intelligencer. June 21, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  4. ^ a b c d e "W. S. Cowherd is Dead". St. Joseph News-Press. June 21, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^ "Self Guided Walking Tour of the Lee's Summit Historical Cemetery" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
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Party political offices Preceded byJoseph W. Folk Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri 1908 Succeeded byElliot Woolfolk Major Political offices Preceded byBenjamin Holmes Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri 1892–1894 Succeeded byWebster Davis U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byRobert T. Van Horn United States Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Missouri 1897–1905 Succeeded byEdgar C. Ellis
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