Ed Overholser

Ed Overholser
Ed Overholser
17th Mayor of Oklahoma City
	In office; April 13, 1915 – December 24, 1918
Preceded by	Whit M. Grant
Succeeded by	Byron D. Shear
Personal details
Born	June 20, 1869; Sullivan, Indiana
Died	April 21, 1931 (aged 61); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Political party	Republican

Ed Overholser (June 20, 1869 – April 21, 1931) was an American politician who 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

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Necrology", Chronicles of Oklahoma Archived January 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Volume 9, p. 212. (accessed May 21, 2010).
^ Henry Overholser
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Overholser, Edward Graham Mclain Archived 2010-07-21 at the Wayback Machine," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine" (accessed May 21, 2010).

[chronicles-1] "Necrology", Chronicles of Oklahoma Archived January 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Volume 9, p. 212. (accessed May 21, 2010).

[henry-2] Henry Overholser

[okhistory-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Overholser, Edward Graham Mclain Archived 2010-07-21 at the Wayback Machine," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine" (accessed May 21, 2010).

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