Seventy-five years ago, Joe Eves was named as Speaker Pro Tem of the Kansas House of Representatives. Two years later, Eves was elected as the Majority Floor Leader. In all, he spent 16 years as a state representative and was largely responsible for much of the progressive legislation enacted during Governor Ed Arn’s two terms, and due in part to Joe’s efforts in the late 1940s, Lakin’s vo-ag program was approved by the State Board for Vocational Education which allowed USD 215 to receive federal and state funding.
Joe was politically minded from an early age. He was born in Holden, Missouri on January 1, 1900, the eldest child of David and Jessie (Potter) Eves. Joe’s father was a life-long Republican who ran for county recorder in Holden, but Missouri was primarily a Democratic state and the elder Eves’ bid was unsuccessful. When Joe was seven years old, the family moved to Kansas where Republicans did not so often get defeated. Joe’s dad got an “emigrant car” on the Missouri Pacific Railroad and loaded their household goods, together with two mares, a cow and calf, a dog, 50 chickens, a good new wagon and other farming equipment. The car cost him $125 and was unloaded at Leoti which was in closer proximity, though not much, to their homestead at Conquest nearly 30 miles northwest of Lakin.
As a boy, Joe attended political rallies nearby at the rural Prairie Center school. In 1912, his father sold his livestock and farming equipment and moved the family into Lakin. David Eves served as Kearny County Register of Deeds from 1917-1921 when the oil leasing was just getting started here. Many of the lease forms were not standard and had to be copied by pen in the records. Joe helped his father in this work and with his proofreading. From this time on and up until being elected to his first term in the Legislature, Joe Eves knew he wanted to be a state representative.
That opportunity came in 1942 when Ralph Miller decided not to run again for the office. On the last day to file, no candidates had filed by 9 a.m., and the deadline was noon. Joe approached the Republican County Chairman, Dr. Grant Hastings, who said he would be pleased if Eves filed and would back him all the way. Joe filed at 11 a.m., and his political career was on its way! That November, he defeated the Democratic candidate, Thomas Daniel of Deerfield, by more than 200 votes.
Lakinite Ed Stullken, a former representative, gave the newbie some words of advice. He said Joe might be somewhat disappointed in his first legislative session and that the legislators who had served a few terms did not care to have many opinions or speeches from “first-termers.” Stullken encouraged Eves to mainly listen, learn and build an appearance and reputation. Joe found Stullken’s gentle direction to be helpful. In 1949, Joe was given the chairmanship of the Fees and Salaries Committee. This committee turned out to be very successful and overhauled the entire salary structure of all county and state officers. At a night session of the Legislature during this time, Joe had the floor for three and one-half hours. He had a keen wit and “Missouri” drawl, both of which he used to persuade other lawmakers to follow his lead. After one of Joe’s more popular speeches, he was given a 15-minute standing ovation. He was referred to many times by his colleagues as “the much-loved barn-yard philosopher.”
The same year that Joe was named Speaker Pro-Tem, he was appointed to the Legislative Council. A seat on the council was a coveted position as only 15 members from the House and 10 from the Senate were chosen. As the Majority Floor Leader or Whip, Joe’s duties were to see that Republican policies and legislation were pushed through for action. He was appointed chairman of the Calendar Committee at that time too which enabled him to keep strict control of the House’s order of business. As a joke, the House presented Joe with a set of branding irons, one with a “Y’ and the other with an “N”, so that he would be able to separate the yes votes from the no votes. They had a lot of fun with those irons although Joe never used them. After serving as chairman on the committee to remodel the House Chamber, Rep. Eves was asked to overseer the work when the bill passed both the House and Senate in 1955 but Eves declined the offer because of the inconvenience of living so far from Topeka. He served 14 consecutive years before he made the decision to run instead for state senator. Joe failed in this bid, but in 1964, he secured another two-year term in the House. Eves became close with Governors Andy Schoeppel, Frank Carlson and Edward Arn, and while Joe was always a staunch Republican, some of his best friends in the Legislature were Democrats. Following his service in the Legislature, Joe maintained a strong interest in Republican politics and served as the Kearny County Republican chairman as well as other positions.
Joe was the Kearny County Farm Bureau Insurance agent for 25 years, and even after his retirement, he continued to handle hail and crop insurance. He also farmed. Joe was a member of the First Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder, deacon and treasurer. A member of the Emerald Lodge for over 50 years and a member of the Eastern Star, Joe served as District Deputy Grand Master for Kansas in 1951-52 and Grand Senior Steward in 1957. A World War I veteran, Eves served many years as an officer of the Shepherd-Moore Post.
Joe married Rosamond James in “a quiet wedding at the Methodist parsonage in Deerfield” in September of 1932. Rosamond’s parents, John and Elizabeth, had come to Kearny County with their family in 1910 settling north of Deerfield, and Mr. James eventually became a county commissioner. Rosamond attended school at Deerfield then Emporia College before teaching in rural schools and at Lakin. Like Joe, she was a member of the Presbyterian Church and was a past matron of the Lakin Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star. She was a life-long member of the 20th Century Club and served as county chairman of the Kansas Republicans Women’s Club.
Joe and Rosamond had one daughter, Phyllis Hendrix, and four sons – Daryl, Raymond, Edgar and Donald. Don was killed on Christmas Day 1952 in an automobile accident nine miles west of Dodge City. The popular 17-year-old Lakin High School student was with his brother Daryl and three friends on their way to a Christmas party when their vehicle struck an icy spot on the highway, skidded out of control and hit a tree. The 1952-53 Bronc annual was dedicated in Don’s memory.
Rosamond Catherine James Eves died in 1978, and Joseph Milton Eves passed away in 1987. Their former home, a quaint cottage with gingerbread trim, is located on the northwest corner of Prairie and Western. Although the house was completed in 1904 for the Archibald Brooks family and was later owned by Clarence and Ella Thorpe, old-timers will always refer to the home as “the Eves house.”
SOURCES: Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; an article written by the late Phyllis Hendrix for Meadowlark Notes, newsletter of the Kearny County Senior Center; information provided by the late Dorothy Thorpe Weber; 1952-53 Bronc; property tax collection registers; Museum archives; and archives of the Lakin Investigator, Advocate, Independent, and Ulysses News.
This was really cool. This is my great grandfather and i didn’t know about any of this. I plan to share it with my family.
Glad that you saw it!