Ed Overholser

Ed Overholser (June 20, 1869 - April 21, 1931) was the 16th mayor of Oklahoma City and a president of Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.[1]

Ed Overholser
16th Mayor of Oklahoma City
In office
April 13, 1915 – December 24, 1918
Preceded byWhit M. Grant
Succeeded byByron D. Shear
Personal details
Born(1869-06-20)June 20, 1869
Sullivan, Indiana
DiedApril 21, 1931(1931-04-21) (aged 61)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Political partyRepublican

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]

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References
  1. "Necrology", Chronicles of Oklahoma Archived January 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Volume 9, p. 212. (accessed May 21, 2010).
  2. Henry Overholser
  3. "Overholser, Edward Graham Mclain," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (accessed May 21, 2010).
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