Charles Marshall Hays (April 22, 1845 – March 14, 1917) was a local official, railroad agent, sheriff, and politician in Idaho. He was born in

Saline County, Missouri Saline County is located along the Missouri River in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,370. Its county seat is Marshall. The county was established November 25, 1820, and named for the region's salt sprin ...

. He made his way West with his father, Gilmore Hays, himself an Idaho territorial legislator. Charles M. Hays served as a local official in

Owyhee County Owyhee County ( ) is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,133. The county seat is Murphy, and its largest city is Homedale. In area it is the second-largest county in Ida ...

, first as sheriff from 1875 to 1879, and later as prosecuting attorney from 1881 to 1889 and 1907 to 1909. He also served as district attorney for Idaho's third judicial district from 1891 to 1895. Hays bought the ''Idaho Avalanche'' newspaper in

Silver City, Idaho Silver City is a ghost town in northwestern Owyhee County, Idaho, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). At its height in the 1880s, it was a gold and silver mining town with a population of around 2,500 ...

. He was a delegate from Owyhee County to the Idaho Constitutional Convention in 1889. He served in the state senate representing

Ada County, Idaho Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's ...

. He married Rebecca L. Dye in 1868 and they had eight children. They had a home in Boise and 640 acres of land elsewhere.

References

1845 births 1917 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors Idaho sheriffs People from Owyhee County, Idaho Editors of Idaho newspapers District attorneys in Idaho People from Saline County, Missouri People from Ada County, Idaho Members of the Idaho Constitutional Convention Idaho state senators {{Idaho-politician-stub