John W. Leedy

Who was John W. Leedy?

John Whitnah Leedy was the 14th Governor of Kansas.

He was born near Bellville, Ohio in Richland County to Samuel Keith and Margaret Leedy, the fifth of six children. His parents were members of the Church of the Brethren. Upon the death of his father in 1853, he went to work for neighbors as a farm hand. He was only able to briefly attend school during a few winters.

In 1863, Leedy attempted to join the Union Army, but was rejected because of his age and the intervention of his mother. But in 1864, he essentially ran away from home, following the 163rd Ohio Infantry in which his cousin Jacob M. Leedy was captain of Company D.

After the Civil War, Leedy moved to Princeton, Indiana where he served as a clerk in a store for three years. His health in decline, Leedy then moved to Carlinville, Illinois and sought work as a farm hand. He worked for Squire Gore, and within five years his health had returned and he had saved enough money to purchase his own farm. He married Sarah Jane Boyd in 1874 and had three children: Clara Romaine, Alice May, and John Boyd.