History of Atchison County, Kansas

by Sheffield Ingalls

SHEFFIELD INGALLS.

Sheffield Ingalls is a resident and a native son of Atchison, having been born in that city March 28, 1875. He is a son of the late United States Senator John James Ingalls. Mr. Ingalls’ ancestors, both paternal and maternal, were representative New England pioneers. The Ingalls family in America originated with Edmond Ingalls, who with his brother, Francis, founded Lynn, Mass., in 1628. The mother of our subject was Anna Louisa Chesebrough, a direct descendant of William Chesebrough, who emigrated to America with John Winthrop in 1630. The paternal grandparents of our subject were Elias T. and Eliza (Chase) Ingalls, the former of whom was a first cousin of Mehitable Ingalls, the grandmother of President Garfield, while the latter, Eliza Chase, was descended from Aquilla Chase, who settled in New Hampshire, in 1630, and who was also the ancestor of the late Chief Justice Chase.

Sheffield Ingalls was reared principally in his native town and received his public school education at Atchison and at Washington, D. C. After attending Midland College at Atchison for four years he entered the University of Kansas and was graduated in that institution in June, 1895, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1897, but as the profession did not appeal to him he practiced but little and turned his attention to more genial pursuits. He early developed a predilection for politics and became actively identified with the Republican party in both the city and county of Atchison at an early age. In July, 1898, he was appointed police judge of Atchison by Mayor Donald and, in April, 1899, was elected to the same office for a term of two years, serving until April, 1901. In the spring of 1904 he was a prominent candidate for the Republican nomination for probate judge, but through the exigencies of politics, instead of receiving the nomination sought for, he was nominated by the same convention for the legislature from the third representative district. However, at the election his opponent, Edward Perdue, defeated him by thirty-two votes. Two years later he was nominated again for the legislature from the same district and received a tie vote with Alonzo Wilcox. The contest was decided by lot in Topeka and Mr. Ingalls won. He served as a member of several important committees and was made chairman of the committee on education. He cast his vote for Charles Curtis for United States senator, and in the work of that session became actively identified with that progressive element in the legislature which was known at that time as “the boss busters.” He is in sympathy with all efforts to purify politics and to raise the tone of public life and during that session he voted for all reform legislation. He is a man of deep convictions, a political and social reformer of exceptional ability and courage, and has always opposed machine politics. It was due to an obnoxious political machine’s influence in local Republican circles at Atchison that Mr. Ingalls entered the arena of political strife in order to assist in effectively opposing said machine and to secure needed reform in political methods. Shortly after the adjournment of the legislature Mr. Ingalls assumed the editorial management of the Atchison Champion, and for the following two years exposed through its columns the corruption in city affairs and fought against the domination of the city by a political ring. He then endeavored to purchase a controlling interest in the Champion to enable him to be more aggressive in fighting corruption though its columns, but through various influences operating against him he was unsuccessful. In the fall of 1907 he originated and organized the Commercial State Bank and served as its vice-president until its consolidation with the First National Bank, in the spring of 1910. He then organized the Commerce Investment Company, of which he was made president and continuously served as such until March 2, 1916, when he became the president of the Commerce Trust Company of Atchison, a company which is a development of the Commerce Investment Company. Besides the interests mentioned he is a director of the First National Bank and also of the Railway Specialty Company of Atchison. He was appointed a member of the board of regents of the Kansas State normal schools by Governor Stubbs in April, 1908. He is a member of the State Historical Society, and is a member of the Sons of the Revolution. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

On January 9, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ingalls and Miss Lucy Cornell Van Hoesen, of Lawrence, Kan. To their union five children have been born: Robert Chesebrough, who died in infancy; Ruth Constance, Sarah Sheffield, John James, and David Bagle.

In 1912 Mr. Ingalls received the Republican nomination for lieutenant-governor of Kansas and was elected, although the head of the State ticket was defeated. It fell to Mr. Ingalls’ lot to preside over a Democratic senate, which he did in such a fair and impartial manner as to win the commendation of both Democrats and Republicans. (Copied from Blackmar’s History of Kansas and revised by R. M. Gibson.)