Timeline – All Items – Horizontal

Thomas Jefferson Meadows

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Election Tuesday, April 4, 1905: Thomas Jefferson Meadows won over W. A. James by 8 votes. Meadows was Mayor of Lawson 1905 – 1906

Meadows was born December 8, 1863 in Missouri, the son of James Meadows and Susan Carter. He died January 28, 1939 at age 75 and is buried in Lawson Cemetery.

Jeff E. Deacy

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Election day Tuesday, April 2, 1907: Jeff E. Deacy was elected mayor. He was Mayor of Lawson 1907 – 1908.

Deacy was born September 21, 1861, the son of James Deacy and Caroline Sparlock. He died May 14, 1939 at age 77 and is buried in Lawson Cemetery.

John McBride Ward

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On election Tuesday, April 5, 1913, John McBride Ward, was elected Mayor of Lawson. He served as mayor 1913 – 1914. Ward was in the furniture and undertaking business

Ward was born September 26, 1876, in Dawn, Livingston County, Missouri, the son of Anderson Ward and Rose Ann Bozarth. On October 17, 1939, at age 63, he died in Columbia Missouri and is buried in Lawson Cemetery.

Van Wyck Boen

On election day, Tuesday, April 6, 1915, Van Wyck Boen was elected Mayor of Lawson by 48 votes. He served as mayor 1915 – 1916.

Boen was born January 27, 1886. On May 9, 1962 at age 76 he died and is buried in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Van Wyck Boen

Virgil Homer Russell

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On election day, Tuesday, April 3, 1917, V. H. Russell was elected mayor. He served as Mayor of Lawson 1917 – 1918. He associated in the produce business with his brother, J. E. Russell.

Russell was born April 6, 1877 near Union, east of Lawson, the son of Dolphus S. and Levisa Russell. He married Mary M. Hartman on December 23, 1897. On June 15, 1935 at age 58 he died and was buried in Lawson Cemetery.

John Clifton Crowley

On election Tuesday, April 4, 1911, J. C. Crowley was elected mayor the first time. He served as Mayor of Lawson several terms: 1911 – 1912; 1931 – 1932; 1937 – 1945

John Clifton Crowley was born February 27, 1867 in Lawson, the son of John Crowley and Ann Fuller. His wife was Margaret Crowley. On September 12, 1951, he died at age 84 in Lawson and is buried in Lawson Cemetery.

John Clifton Crowley

On election Tuesday, April 4, 1911, J. C. Crowley was elected mayor the first time. He served as Mayor of Lawson several terms: 1911 – 1912; 1931 – 1932; 1937 – 1945

John Clifton Crowley was born February 27, 1867 in Lawson, the son of John Crowley and Ann Fuller. His wife was Margaret Crowley. On September 12, 1951, he died at age 84 in Lawson and is buried in Lawson Cemetery.

Thomas Dudley Williamson

Thomas Dudley Williamson served as Mayor of Lawson 1955 – 1960.

He was born in Mayview, Missouri, the son of Thomas D. and Minnie Williamson. His wife was Helen (Risley) Williamson.

During his tenure as mayor he helped obtain the Lawson Army Nike missile base and a municipal water system. As head of the town which grew from 474 population in 1950 to 773 in 1960, he guided the civic activities needed to meet the growth caused by the missile base and the new population brought by an improved Highway 69 to Kansas City. He had the idea of formulating the Lawson Development Company which set out to build 17 homes for the missile base top personnel.

At the time of his unexpected death on July 10, 1960, he was president of the Ray County Library Board and Lawson Bank in addition to being in his third term as mayor. He was buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Kansas City.

James Sidney Smith

James Sidney Smith was Mayor of Lawson 1967 – 1972, serving during the Lawson Centennial in 1971.

He was born September 16, 1891 in Lawson, the son of James A. and Alice (Green) Smith. In 1913 he graduated from University of Missouri.  After WWII he taught an agricultural class for WWII veterans in Lawson. 

He was a farmer, feedstore operator, and Farmall implement dealer in Lawson before he retired in 1978. He and his wife Mabel (Morrow) Smith donated land for the Smithview Manor.

Smith died January 24, 1980 in Lawson and was buried in Lawson Cemetery.