Prominence in Politics
From 20th Century History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by Hon. William A. Rockel
Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1908
Owing to the very great popularity of Governor Vance, of Urbana, who was a member of Congress at the time Clark County was organized, it was sometime before one of our citizens became a member of the lower national law-making body. It was not long, however, before two men became prominent in state and national affairs, and in 1835 General Mason was sent to Congress and served in that body for eight years. General Anthony served in the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives a number of years during which he was presiding officer of one of those bodies. He took a very great interest in the Whig campaign of 1840, and upon General Harrison's election he was made United States district attorney for the state of Ohio. Mason and Anthony were recognized all over the state as distinguished men in the Whig party, and in 1849 General Mason also served as United States district attorney for Ohio. In 1842 John Gallagher was representative from this county and was speaker of the Lower House at Columbus.
From the time of Mason and Anthony our state has received more or less prominence from the distinguished ability and services of the Hon. Samuel Shellabarger in Congress of the United States, Judge William White on the Supreme Bench of Ohio, and General J. Warren Keifer. With all due consideration for the lustre and renown which rightfully belong to other citizens of our county, perhaps no one stands above General Keifer—distinguished as a soldier and general in the Civil War (1861-1865), member of the Ohio Senate (1868-80), in Congress from 1877-1885, two years (1881-83) speaker of that body, major-general in the Spanish-American War (1898) and after an interregnum of twenty years, 1905, again a member of Congress, in which capacity he is still acting.
Neither should it be forgotten that more or less prominence was given our locality from the fact that one of its best citizens, a most congenial and affable gentleman, Asa S. Bushnell, was governor of our state in 1895.