Staff writer
In a prelude to the celebration of Kansas’ and Marion’s 150th birthday in 2011, travelers on U.S. 56 north of Marion will see two new signs that were erected last week to honor Marion as the home of former Governor Edward W. Hoch.
Gary Ewert, president of the board of directors of Marion Historical Museum, spearheaded the effort to place the signs.
“I’ve seen similar signs around other communities in Kansas,” he said. “Being a history teacher, I decided Marion should have a sign, too.”
Marion city council members passed a resolution affirming Marion as the home of Governor Hoch, authorizing the city museum to go ahead with plans for the signs.
Private donations and museum funds were used to purchase the signs, which were erected by Kansas Department of Transportation employees.
Governor Hoch was an early pioneer, settling in Marion in 1874 and living here until his death in 1925. He helped organize the first school district.
Though probably most remembered in the state as its 17th governor from 1905 to1909, E.W. Hoch served as a state legislator for two terms, 1889 through 1896, and served on the State Board of Administration for six years.
Hoch came to Kansas from Kentucky in 1872 at age 23 after working in a newspaper office in Kentucky. A Kansas newspaper at the time described him as “a long, lean, lank, pale-faced young fellow.”
His brother, William F. Hoch, came to Kansas at the same time. He served as Deputy County Treasurer from 1888 to 1896 and Judge of the Probate Court from 1896 to 1902.
Large photographs of the two men hang in the first-floor lobby of the Marion County Courthouse.
According to a legislative candidate sketch of Edward W. Hoch, published in October 1888, Hoch worked for a while on his brother’s farm near Peabody and worked on the Pioneer newspaper in Florence, serving six months as its editor. He tried his own hand at farming west of Marion but soon gave it up.
In the spring of 1874, he began working for C.S. Triplett on the Marion County Record. He purchased the newspaper that fall and owned it until his death, when it was passed down to his children.
Hoch had spent all his money on the newspaper, so he lived in the office for the first year. He acted as compositor, supervisor, job-workman, editor, business manager, and receptionist.
Nearly all of his editorials were set directly “from the case,” one letter at a time. He had no time to write them out first.
At that time, the newspaper contained world news as well as local news. Hoch was a staunch Republican and he did not hesitate to use the columns of his newspaper to take politicians to task, especially those who espoused socialism.
Like many small-town editors, Hoch was constantly selling Marion as the place to be and encouraging folks to come and settle here. He encouraged readers to “buy local.” He believed the world was getting better, and strove to find the good in things, rather than the bad.
Hoch’s great-grandson, Jim Hoch of Warrenville, Ill., has collected five portfolios of his writings and other newspaper articles about him. They are available at the Marion Historical Museum.
E.W. married Sarah Dickerson in 1876. They had four children.
Hoch had strong religious convictions and did not hesitate to express them. In May 1875, he was licensed as an “exhorter” by the M.E. Church Conference.
Even as a governor, he taught Sunday school classes. Valley United Methodist Church in Marion has a stained glass window that proclaims:
E.W. Hoch
Our Beloved Teacher
Bible Class
Hoch was against slavery. According to a story passed down to family members, some Klu Klux Klan members came to church one Sunday morning. As they came up to the front to give their offering, everyone was silent. Hoch stood up and told them that what they were doing was wrong and that they should leave.
“It took a lot of courage to do something like that back in those days,” Jim Hoch said.
The man had a bit of an ego. Being born on St. Patrick’s Day, every year when his birthday came around, he noted it in the newspaper and facetiously claimed that it was celebrated all over the world.
The editor was elected to the state legislature in 1889 and again in 1893. He remained active in the Republican Party after that. He did not seek the governorship but was drafted by the party to serve as its candidate in 1904.
He won the election and served two terms, 1905-1909. His son, Homer, was his personal secretary.
As governor, Hoch initiated laws that he believed would clean up Kansas politics, such as selecting political candidates through direct primaries, forbidding giving free railroad passes to politicians, limiting campaign donations, and establishing rules for lobbyists.
The governor was a big supporter of education and the University of Kansas in Lawrence, in particular. The performing arts center, including a basketball court, was named posthumously after him as Hoch Auditorium. The building was destroyed by a fire in 1991. The limestone façade of the original building, facing Jayhawk Avenue, is part of a new facility, Budig Hall, which was dedicated in 1997 and still bears the Hoch name.
The newspaperman remained active until his death. He expressed his theory of retirement in the June 22, 1911, issue of the Marion County Record:
“No man should ever quit work or quit making money. When a fellow ‘retires’ he might as well consult an undertaker. He will live longer, keep fresher, and be happier if he keeps everlastingly at it. If he doesn’t need the money, there are plenty who do, and there is no better recipe for happiness than making others happy. Earn, if for no other reason than to help some worthy person or some good cause — that’s my doctrine.”
He died in Marion on June 1, 1925, at age 76.
One of the suites in the Elgin Hotel is named in honor of the former governor. It is known as The Governor’s Suite. Pictures of Hoch and a collection of articles by and about him are displayed there.
Ewert hopes the new signs will attract people to explore the town and its historical attractions or at least make them aware of the history of the town.
“It’s a legacy of a whole family and something we should be proud of,” he said. “Edward Hoch was a progressive governor who did things to change things for the better in Kansas.”
The museum is still accepting donations to replenish museum funds. Donations may be sent to Marion Historical Museum, 501 E Main St, Marion KS 66861.