Dr. William Wilburforce Edgerton
W.W. Edgerton was nominated to the Chillicothe Hall of Fame in 2018.
W.W. Edgerton was born in Ohio in 1845. He enlisted in the Army at the age of 16, serving during the Civil War from 1862 to 1865 Company A, 107th New York volunteer infantry.
He moved to Wheeling, Missouri in April of 1872 after graduating from Rush Medical College in Chicago. While practicing medicine in Wheeling, he performed an exam on two young men, both vying for one spot in West Point. Dr. Edgerton broke the tie by choosing the one in the best physical condition: a man named John Pershing, who went on to become a famous general in World War I.
Edgerton then opened and ran a general merchandise store in Wheeling from 1881 to 1889 with partner William Scruby. Edgerton & Scruby built the first grain elevator in Wheeling in 1884.
He married Elizabeth Davis in 1876 and in 1889 they moved to Chillicothe. Here, he recognized the need for a bank and helped create Citizen’s National Bank, serving as vice-president and the first cashier, and then became president after the death of the first president, Thomas McNally. Citizens National Bank was the only bank in Chillicothe and one of only three in the county that managed to stay afloat during the Depression of 1929; there had been five banks in town and twenty-two in the county prior to that time. Edgerton remained as head of the bank until his death in 1931.
Edgerton was a member of the Masonic Order and served as an officer on the Chillicothe Cemetery Association in 1904.
From 1903 to 1905 he was mayor of Chillicothe and brought about “many important improvements” during his term. He helped to pass an ordinance in 1904 requiring property owners to “pave” the streets in front of their lots; by pave, they meant brick on a sand base. He was also involved in the Milkwaukee depot land ownership dispute with all the shops on railroad property reverting to the City. He had to do away with the “merchant police” due to budget issues as well as confusion as to the chain of command and responsibilities.
Edgerton died at his home at 1003 Locust Street, at the corner of Locust and Polk Streets, on November 11, 1931. That home is still standing although in fair condition presently.