This Day in Kansas History

[Wilma]

March 4, 1881

Republican Preston Bierce Plumb of Emporia begins serving as one of Kansas' U. S. Senators, 1877.  In 1881, Plumb was the first legislator to propose a prohibition amendment to the U. S. Constitution.  Plumb served until December, 1891.



A Calendar of KANSAS History 1979

[Wilma]

March 6, 1977

There is no entry for March 5 on this calendar.

Appropriately named, Greenleaf, Washington County, is the smallest city in the nation to win a "Trees Cities, U.S.A." award in connection with a National Arbor Day promotion, 1977.

[Wilma]

March 8, 1891

The New York Sun, interviewing "Sockless" Jerry Simpson, recently elected to the U.S. House from Kansas, reports:  "Simpson wears socks," 1891.  famous for allegedly exposing a bare ankle and declaring that the farmer "ain't got no socks" because of hard times, Simpson said:  "Some blamed newspaper writer started that story.  I said 'let it go, it will do me more good than harm,' and I guess it did."

[Wilma]

March 9, 1937

Mississippian Fred L. Jeltz, a black who came to Kansas in 1889, taught school and wrote a column for the Topeka Daily Capital called "Joltz from Jeltz,"  dies in Topeka, 1937.  Jeltz also made his reputation as a journlist with the estabishment of a black weekly newspaper, the Kansas State Ledger (1892-1906).

[Wilma]

March 11, 1887

Charles H. J. Taylor, who was born a slave in 1856, attended Oberlin College, studied law at Ann Arbor College and became a Leavenworth lawyer active in Democratic politics, begins an eight-month tenure as minister resident and consul general to the Republic of Liberia, 1887.  Taylor was later appointed recorder of deeds for the District of Columbia, a post he held until 1896.

[Wilma]

March 12, 1941

Charles Sanford Skilton, nationally known composer and a professor at the University of Kansas for 40 years, dies, 1941.  Skilton, who came to Kansas early in the 20th century and wrote compositions based on tribal Indian melodies and American folklore and legend, is best know for his "Suite Primeval".

[Wilma]

March 13, 1929

Official announcement is made that Clyde Tombaugh, Burdett, has discovered the planet Pluto, 1929.  Tombaugh, still in high school, was working at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, when, as he stated, he "came upon a star-image that had shifted in position in the star-field.  The amount of shift was such as to indicate that the object was situated beyond the orbit of Neptune."

[Wilma]

March 14, 1911

A month after the Kansas Legislature votes to put the Woman Suffrage Amendment on the Kansas ballot, Henry J. Allen, owner of the Wichita Beacon, says that "the wife who allows her husband to cook his breakfast has let her end of the double-tree get almost into the spokes of the wheel," 1911.

[Wilma]

March 15, 1874

John Noble, world famous seascape painter, is born near Wichita, 1874.  Noble, who first worked as an illustrator at the Wichita Eagle, painted "Cleopatra at the Bath." which Carry A. Nation criticized as degrading to Wichita women.  Noble said that if he'd painted nudes with wings she'd worship them.  A few days later, while hatcheting the Carey Hotel Saloon where "Cleopatra" hung, nation destroyed the painting.

[sixdogsmom]

Now that is interesting; I knew about Carey Nation and the hotel, but about the painter? I knew nothing. Thanks Wilma!