____________________________________________________________________
The following article was published in the Marion Daily Republican Newspaper, regarding the first Mayor of Marion. Joseph w. Hartwell.

By Sam Lattuca
Williamson County Historical Society
updated: 7/12/2017 4:39 PM
After the adoption of a new state constitution in 1870, the Illinois Legislature passed a general act for the incorporation of all cities, towns and villages. Under this act, Marion became incorporated as a town under the law of the state in 1873.

So, the switch was made from a chartered village to a town with a mayoral government, and a city election was conducted in April 1874.

The first person to be elected mayor of Marion was Joseph W. Hartwell. The sixth child of 12 born to Lorenzo Dow and Sicily Hartwell, he grew up on a farm in Lake Creek Township, east of Whiteash. His early education consisted of only a few months of subscription schools each year.

In August 1861, Hartwell and two of his brothers enlisted in Co. F, 31st Regiment of the Illinois Volunteers, organized by John A. Logan. After only two months training, he fought in the battles of Raymond, Champion Hill, Vicksburg and Kennesaw Mountain, among many others. His left arm was blown off by a 12-pound howitzer shell in the battle of Atlanta on July 21, 1864.

According to the book, "The Hartwell Family," by J.L.D. Hartwell, "He suffered much during the long hot day while the battle was raging before he had any medical and surgical attention." He was discharged in 1864 because of his wounds and returned home in March 1865.

Hartwell was very active in the Republican Party and elected county treasurer in the fall of 1865. The whole Republican ticket was elected that year. While serving as county treasurer, Hartwell studied to be a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in December 1866. From 1868-72, he served as circuit clerk and was elected the first mayor of Marion in April 1874. City officers served only one-year terms in those days.

In 1874, Hartwell also was appointed state's attorney to finish out the term of J.D.F. Jennings, who had stolen more than $900 from the school fund and fled the county. Jennings's son, Al, later went on to become an outlaw and silent movie actor who I have covered in a previous article. Hartwell was then elected state's attorney from 1875 to 1880 and gained local fame as the prosecuting attorney during the Bloody Vendetta trials, proving to be a very effective lawyer.

Thought to possess an eidetic memory, Hartwell could quote a whole page from a book after having read it only once. His memory of people, their names and background, coupled with his judgment of human nature, made him able to sway jurors to his will and hard to beat in a courtroom. He often quoted various literary authors in his arguments.

After his service with the county, Hartwell spent a term on a state board and worked as a federal government pension examiner for years. After that, he practiced law in this county until his death in 1903. He had been a continuous member of the bar for 37 years.

Hartwell and his wife, Martha O'Daniel, had seven children. He was buried in Hartwell Cemetery within a mile of where he was born.
______________________________________________________________________