William Franklin Switzler (March 16, 1819 – May 24, 1906) was an American lawyer, journalist, publisher, and historian from Columbia, Missouri.

Biography

William F. Switzler was born in Fayette County, Kentucky. In 1826 his family moved to Fayette, Missouri. He studied law under

Abiel Leonard Abiel Leonard (June 26, 1848 – December 3, 1903) was the second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, serving from 1888 to 1903. He was succeeded by Franklin Spencer Spalding. Biography Abiel Leonard was born in Fayette, Missouri on June ...

and James Sidney Rollins, and practiced it for several years. In 1841 he started editing the ''Columbia Patriot'' eventually going into journalism business. He printed the ''Columbia Statesman''; later in his life he edited the '' Chillicothe Constitution'' and ''Missouri Democrat'' ( Boonville, Mo.). During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, in 1863, he was appointed a provost marshal for the 9th District of Missouri. He served as a State Representative for

Boone County, Missouri Boone County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Centrally located in Mid-Missouri, its county seat is Columbia, Missouri's fourth-largest city and location of the University of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 183,6 ...

and twice, in 1866 and 1888 ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, unsuccessfully. In 1885 he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Statistics in Washington, D.C. He published ''Switzler's illustrated history of Missouri, from 1541 to 1877'' in 1879, and in 1882 — a ''History of Boone County, Missouri''. He died in Columbia, Missouri, aged 87. His papers are preserved by the

State Historical Society of Missouri The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's cultural heritage. Establ ...

Family

He married Mary Jane Royall (1820-1879) of Columbia, Missouri in 1843, and they had three children.

Legacy

Switzler Hall on the David R. Francis Quadrangle at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

is named after him.Spirits of Mizzou: William F Switzler
''University of Missouri''

Works

*Switzler, William F., et al
''Switzler's illustrated history of Missouri, from 1541 to 1877''
St. Louis: C. R. Barns. 1879. *Switzler, William F
''History of Boone County, Missouri. Written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources; including a history of its townships, towns, and villages. Together with a condensed history of Missouri; the city of St. Louis ... biographical sketches and portraits of prominent citizens''
St. Louis, Western Historical Company, 1882.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Switzler, William Franklin 1819 births 1906 deaths Journalists from Missouri American publishers (people) University of Missouri curators Writers from Columbia, Missouri Missouri Whigs 19th-century American politicians Burials at Columbia Cemetery (Columbia, Missouri) 19th-century American businesspeople