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County Organization
The
first steps toward perfecting a county organization
were taken in the fall of 1859, when a public meeting
was held under
the "Great Elm", on the east back of the
Salt Creek, near the northwest corner of the Burlington
& MissouriRiver
Railroad grounds, to consider the advisability of
such action.
As a result of the meeting W.
T. Donavan, J.
J. Forest and A. J. Wallingford were appointed a
committee to select a site for a county seat. They
chose the site
of a part of the present city of Lincoln, which
was laid off in 1864 and named Lancaster.
An election
was ordered
by the County Commissioners of Cass County, to which
the organized county west was attached for judicial
and elective purposes, to be held at the house of
William Shirley on Stevens' creek, October 10, 1859.
At
this election the following officers were elected:
County
Commissioners
W.
T. Donavan
J.
J. Forest
A.
J. Wallingford
Treasurer
Richard
Wallingford
Clerk
L.
J. Loder
Recorder
J.
P. Loder
A
general election for Lancaster County was held October
9, 1860, at the house of Capt. W. T. Donavan, twenty-three
votes were cast and resulted as follows:
Delegate
to Congress
J.
Sterling Morton - 11 votes
Samuel
G. Dailey - 12 votes
Councilmen
W.
R. Davis - 2 votes
T.
M. Marquette - 13 votes
Joint
Councilman
Samuel
H. Elbert - 15 votes
Representative
William
Gilmore - 16 votes
Louden
Mullen - 15 votes
W.
R. Davis - 16 votes
William
Reed - 16 votes
E.
W. Barnum - 12 votes
J.
N. Wise - 6 votes
In
1863 a part of Clay County was set off to Lancaster,
giving this county its present proportions of
thirty-six miles in length by twenty -four miles
in width.
The
first election under the State Constitution
was held June 2, 1866. The number of votes
polled at
this election was 165.
Governor
J.
Sterling Morton - 53 votes
David
Butler - 112 votes
53
votes were cast against the Constitution
95
votes for the Constitution
John
Cadman was elected Senator to the first state
Legislature
James
Queen was returned as elected Representative
from Lancaster, Seward and Saunders counties,
but
his seat was contested by J. L Davidson and
not decision had been reached when the Legislature
adjourned.
Exra
Tullis was elected Representative from Lancaster
County.
Source: Andrea's History of the State of Nebraska
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