Kenneth Hopkins Simmons (1904 - 1981) was a mayor of

Milton, Washington Milton is a city in King County, Washington, King and Pierce County, Washington, Pierce counties in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The population was 8,697 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton borde ...

. He was also the founder and mayor of

Bonney Lake, Washington Bonney Lake is a city in Pierce County, Washington. The population was 22,487 at the time of the 2020 census. History Bonney Lake was incorporated as a town on February 28, 1949, after the establishment of a co-op venture to bring electricity ...

in 1949. He is most known for his placing a mule, named "Boston Curtis", on the ballot for Republican precinct committeeman for Milton.

Career

In 1938, Simmons entered Curtis into the election for the post of Republican

precinct committeeman A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political ...

for Milton. He ran unopposed and was elected on September 13, 1938 by 51 votes, despite having run no election campaign, or offered a platform. Residents were surprised to learn that Curtis was actually a long-eared brown mule. Simmons stated that he had done this to demonstrate that many people vote without considering who they are actually voting for. The mule later

crossed the floor Crossed may refer to: * ''Crossed'' (comics), a 2008 comic book series by Garth Ennis * ''Crossed'' (novel), a 2010 young adult novel by Ally Condie * "Crossed" (''The Walking Dead''), an episode of the television series ''The Walking Dead'' S ...

, joining the Stevens lobby. On Halloween 1939, he hired a group of teenagers as special policemen for the night. Twenty teenagers from nearby

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

invaded Milton and challenged them to a fight. The Milton teenagers defended themselves with a fire hose, until one of the others was struck by the nozzle of the hose and had to be driven to a hospital with head injuries. State troopers eventually arrived to stop the fight. After serving as mayor of Milton, Simmons served in the state legislature for three terms, representing the 25th district. Later, he and his family moved to Bonney Lake, where he helped the city incorporate and became its first mayor.

References

External links

*
SIMMONS, Kenneth,1904-1981,Milton
Genforum Washington (state) culture Mayors of places in Washington (state) American city founders Washington (state) Democrats 1904 births 1981 deaths Politicians from Tacoma, Washington 20th-century American politicians People from Milton, Washington People from Bonney Lake, Washington Practical jokes {{Washington-mayor-stub