Leland Justin Webb (August 5, 1846 – February 21, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician. His father was Colonel

William C. Webb William Craw Webb (April 21, 1824April 19, 1898) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and pioneer of Wisconsin and Kansas. He was the first Kansas Insurance Commissioner, served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives and ...

, a district attorney, judge and state assemblyman.

Formative years

Born in Smithfield,

Bradford County, Pennsylvania Bradford County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 59,967. Its county seat is Towanda, Pennsylvania, Towanda. ...

on August 5, 1846, Webb moved with his parents to

Wautoma, Wisconsin Wautoma is a city and the county seat of Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census. The city consists of three noncontiguous areas: one is entirely surrounded by the Town of Wautoma, the second i ...

in 1853. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, at the age of fifteen, he enlisted as a drummer in Company H, 16th Wisconsin Infantry, on October 15, 1861, and was discharged on August 25, 1862. Returning to Wisconsin, he re-enlisted in Company I, 30th Wisconsin Infantry as a musician and was discharged on March 8, 1865. He served in several major engagements including Shiloh, Nashville and Corinth.

Post-war life

In 1868, Webb moved to

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The cit ...

where he joined the 19th Kansas Cavalry Regiment for service against hostile Indians. Webb was admitted to the Kansas bar in 1869. He, then, moved to

Columbus, Kansas Columbus is the second largest city and county seat of Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,929. It is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Pittsburg. History The fir ...

and served as the city's first mayor. In 1871, Webb moved to

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. ...

. In 1877 and 1878, Webb served in the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

and was involved with the Republican Party. Webb was a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Veterans from 1890 to 1891. He was a hereditary companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

by right of his father's service as a colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1880, Webb moved to

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

and continued to practice law.

Death

Webb died in Topeka on February 21, 1893.'Journal of Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Encampment of the Sons of Veterans, U.S.A. Held at Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 25, 25, 26, 26 and 29, 1891, Volume 10, Parts 1891-1893, The Hamilton Printing Company, Topeka, Kansas: 1891, In Memoriam Leland Justin Webb, pg. 253-255

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Leland Justin 1846 births 1893 deaths People from Bradford County, Pennsylvania People from Wautoma, Wisconsin Politicians from Topeka, Kansas People of Illinois in the American Civil War People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Kansas lawyers Mayors of places in Kansas Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Politicians from Fort Scott, Kansas 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Kansas Legislature