William Baltzell Ebbert (February 28, 1846 – February 27, 1927) was an officer and adjutant in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

(1st Regiment West Virginia Infantry Volunteers), a Colorado legislator, newspaper publisher, author, farmer, businessman, and poet. Ebbert published the ''Pueblo Review and Standard'' newspaper in 1890, authored the landmark meat inspection legislation in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

in 1889 and battled with

Prohibitionists Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

in the 1910s. As a Director of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation District from 1911 to 1920, he guided the district through turbulent times and helped engineer its dissolution and reemergence as the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company in 1920. A newspaper article in 1911 touted him as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and perhaps best describes the respect he commanded: "His record for good works for Colorado is not excelled by any living man and he would command the respect and wield an influence in the highest legislative body in the land that would be beneficial to not only his state but to the nation at large." Ebbert was the patriarch of a farming family in the Cortez, Rocky Ford and Pueblo areas of Colorado. Ebbert's father, John Van Kirk Ebbert, was the cousin of Congressman

George Ebbert Seney George Ebbert Seney (May 29, 1832 – June 11, 1905) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from Ohio. A United States Democratic Party, Democrat, he served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1883 to ...

(Ohio Democrat, served 1883–1891). In addition to writing for various newspapers and magazines, William B. Ebbert also authored a compilation of his writings and poetry, "On Colorado's Fair Mesas" in 1897. Ebbert represented the counties of Pueblo, Otero, and Montezuma in the

Colorado General Assembly The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado. It is a bicameral legislature that was created by the 1876 state constitution. Its statutes are codified in the ''Colorado Revised Statutes'' (C.R.S.). The ses ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ebbert was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He was the only son of Charlotte Baltzell and John Van Kirk Ebbert, of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. After several years in the Union Army, he moved briefly to Covington, Kentucky and the Cincinnati, Ohio area. On Christmas Day, 1866, at age 20, he married Cornelia Blanche Hall in Wheeling. After Cornelia's death in 1881, William B. Ebbert and his three children (Blanche, Edith, and William) moved to the

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...

area and took up farming. He soon met and married Catherine Scheutle in 1884 in Pueblo. William and Catherine produced three more boys in Colorado; all died at prematurely. In Colorado, Ebbert established himself as a community leader, author, and politician. He served several years in the Colorado Legislature, representing Dolores, Otero, Pueblo, and Montezuma counties. Legendary railroad chieftain

Otto Mears Otto Mears (May 3, 1840 – June 24, 1931) was a famous Colorado railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado. Mears was known as the "Pathfinder of the San Juans" because of hi ...

bestowed upon Ebbert one of his rare silver railroad passes in 1889 (Silverton Railroad Pass No. 193). After a respected life in the military, agriculture, and politics, William B. Ebbert died on February 27, 1927, in Cortez, Colorado. It was just one day before his 81st birthday. He is buried at the Lewis Cemetery, a few miles north of

Cortez, Colorado Cortez () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 8,766 at the 2020 United States Census. History In 1886, the town was built t ...

Military service in the Union Army

1861–1865: 1st Regiment, West Virginia Infantry Volunteers

Only 15 years old when he enlisted in 1861, William B. Ebbert rose from Private to Sergeant Major by 1864. Soon after, West Virginia Governor

Arthur Boreman Arthur Ingram Boreman (July 24, 1823April 19, 1896) was an American lawyer, politician and judge who helped found the U.S. state of West Virginia. Raised in Tyler County, West Virginia, he served as the state's first Governor, and a United Sta ...

commissioned William B. Ebbert as a

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

at the age of 18. Colonel Weddle then appointed Ebbert as Acting

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

. Ebbert fought in many famous

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 th ...

battles, including battles in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

(Winchester, Port Republic, and Second Bull Run). He had lied about his age so he could enlist in the

in 1861 at the age of 15. Ebbert served in the 1st West Virginia Infantry Volunteers, Company A and later in Company H. (His father, John Van Kirk Ebbert, enlisted in 1861 at age 46, and served as a Sergeant in Company I, 1st West Virginia Infantry Volunteers, and later as Corporal, Independent Pennsylvania Battery H, Light Artillery.) Ebbert often faced troops led by

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

, and engaged in battles in the

, Virginia, under General Shield, General Sheridan, and others. His first engagement was near Winchester on March 25, 1862. He wrote:

we drove back Jackson. We were under the hottest fire at Port Republic afterwards, where we lost nearly half my company -were defeated, routed, and pursued for 14 miles by Confederate cavalry, which never ceased firing on us during our retreat.

He wrote further:

Men who served in the Union Army Regiment with Ebbert

*Ebbert served under General Shield, General Sheridan, and others. *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Thoburn (Thoburn was killed the day of Sheridan's ride. Ebbert described him as "ambitious and reckless of his life.") *

Weddle (Ebbert notes that "Weddle was steady and brave, not pushing his men needlessly into danger." *Sergeant John Van Kirk Ebbert, his father.

Service in the Colorado Legislature: "a farmer in politics"

Ebbert served in the

from 1889 to 1890 as a Republican, and 1907–1908 and 1911–1912 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He represented Pueblo, Dolores, Otero, and Montezuma counties in the lower house. He was chairman of the powerful Assembly Rules Committee and served on various other committees. Ebbert ran for Speaker of the Assembly in 1911.

Committee and leadership positions

*Chairman, Rules Committee (1889) *Chairman, Education, Finance Ways and Means Committee (1889) *Revision and Constitution Committee *State Institutions Committee *Chairman, Federal Relations Committee (1911, 1912) *Indian and Military Affairs *Insurance Committee *Mercantile and Manufacturing Interests *Public Lands Committee *Stock Committee *Towns and Cities

Agricultural leader

Upon arriving in Colorado in 1881, Ebbert quickly built up his farming business. He held numerous offices in the agricultural and business communities: *President, Valley Beet Growers Association *President, Capital Hill Melon Grower's Association (Newdale, Colorado) *President, Rocky Ford Creamery Company *Presided over Farmers' Institutes *City Board of Trade *Director, Montezuma Valley Irrigation District His legislation in 1889 required inspection of meats 24 hours before slaughter, helping protect consumers from spoiled foreign meat products and assisting Colorado's cattle industry. As a successful sugar beet farmer, Ebbert battled against big sugar companies for farmers' rights.

Ebbert's treatise on dirty politics: "Titles are Trash"

Although Ebbert is most notable for his dealings with agricultural issues, he also tussled with

of the time, culminating in his impassioned writings on the shamefulness of dirty politics and political mudslinging.

Ebbert The Ebbert family has produced several notable figures in the United States. In Colorado, the Ebberts were a politically active agricultural family in the Pueblo, Otero, and Montezuma County areas of Colorado in the late 19th and early 20th centur ...

publicly supported local control over the legality of liquor (i.e., the "Local Option").

and some clergy sought to unseat him. During the 1910 Assembly elections, the Anti-Saloon League of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and various religious leaders targeted

for defeat. It is in this battle that Ebbert delivered one of his finest political statements to date. After narrowly winning reelection despite an eleventh hour "hit piece" mailer sent by activist preacher Rev. E.E. McLaughlin, Ebbert retorted:

Ebbert as poet

Ebbert was known as a great orator and poet and possessed a striking command of the English language. He published his writings in the 1897 book, ''On Colorado's Fair Mesas''. The following poem is published in the book:

Family life: untimely death of children

Ebbert reared nine children over a 22-year period. Six of the nine children died prematurely. In Cincinnati: *Louis died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at age 9 months; *Cornelia died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

at 1 year; and *an unnamed baby boy died at age 23 days. In Colorado: *Wilson died of "stomach problems" at age 36; *Irving died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

at age 19; and *Wolcott died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

at age 19. Only one son survived: William Dickinson Ebbert (1876–1951), and two daughters, Blanche (1868–1952) and Edith (1872–1946). Ebbert's first wife Cornelia died on July 5, 1881, in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

a few weeks after the birth of their sixth child. The baby and mother are interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. By 1881, two of William and Cornelia's children had died as infants. While giving birth to their sixth child, Cornelia died. The baby died a few weeks later, making it the third child to die. After Cornelia's death in 1881, Ebbert moved to Colorado and married Catherine Scheutle on July 1, 1884, near Pueblo. ''The Ebbert Ranch'' was located outside

, near Arriola. The Ebbert clan had lived in several locations in Colorado over the years: first in Pueblo, then Rocky Ford, and later settling in

Montezuma County Montezuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,849. The county seat is Cortez. Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Yucca House National Monu ...

. The Ebbert Ranch was located off

U.S. Route 491 U.S. Route 491 (US 491) is a north–south U.S. Highway serving the Four Corners region of the United States. It was created in 2003 as a renumbering of U.S. Route 666 (US 666). With the US 666 designation, the road was nicknamed th ...

(formerly Hwy 666), 9.58 miles north of Cortez, just south of a large irrigation flume that crosses over the freeway. (It is located on the east half of the SW one quarter and lots 3 and 4 of Section 7, Twp. 37, North of Range 16, west of the New Mexico Prime Meridian.) The Ebbert ranch house was built in 1908 and is still standing.

Memorable quotations

*"Titles are trash. A league is good if its good. An untruth is an untruth whether spoken by a pauper or a prince." November 21, 1910. *"He is one of the fussy, spluttering Denver stripplings who buss around the statehouse and think they are running something." (In reference to Anti-Saloon League activist E.E. McLaughlin.)''Montezuma Journal'', November 21, 1910, Colorado.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebbert, William B. 1846 births 1927 deaths Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Politicians from Cincinnati Members of the Colorado House of Representatives Union Army officers Montezuma County, Colorado Pueblo County, Colorado People from Uniontown, Pennsylvania People from Cortez, Colorado Writers from Wheeling, West Virginia Military personnel from Pennsylvania Military personnel from Colorado