Following is a list of the county executives of Jackson County, Missouri.
Presiding Judge From 1827 until 1972 Jackson County was headed by a three-member County Commission called a County Court, with a Presiding Judge as the county's chief executive. There was no requirement that a judge be a lawyer, and these "judges" had no judicial authority. The Court reflected the county's divided nature with one judge representing the then-rural eastern areas around the county seat of Independence, while the western judge represented the more urban areas closer to Kansas City. The presiding judge was elected countywide. Courthouses were built in both cities. The most famous presiding judge was Harry S. Truman (later the 33rd U.S. President) who represented the Eastern District before later winning election as presiding judge. The last presiding judge, George W. Lehr, later served as Missouri State Auditor from 1974 until 1977.
1827 - Richard Fristoe 1834 - Moses G. Wilson 1838 - John Davis (county executive) 1842 - James B. Yager 1846 - Alvin Brooking 1850 - Richard D. Stanley 1862 - Jacob Leader 1865 - M. T. Graham 1866 - Andrew G. Newgent 1867 - G. W. Gates 1869 - James B. Yager 1875 - Albert Gallatin Williams 1877 - Josiah Collins 1879 - James B. Yager 1883 - Robert L. Adkins 1887 - John A. McDonald 1891 - Daniel Murphy 1895 - John B. Stone 1899 - G.L. Chrisman 1907 - J. M. Patterson 1911 - H. C. Gilbert 1915 - Miles Bulger 1923 - Elihu W. Hayes 1927 - Harry S. Truman 1935 - Eugene I. Purcell 1937 - David E. Long 1941 - George S. Montgomery 1947 - Harry M. Gambrel 1951 - Harry M. Fleming 1955 - Ray G. Cowan 1959 - John J. Kopp 1963 - Charles E. Curry 1971 - George W. Lehr
County Executive In 1970 a new county charter approved effective January 1973 replaced the County Court with a stronger County Commission, with representatives elected from 11 districts. The 11 districts were reduced to 6 in 1987. A County Executive serves as presiding officer.
1973 - George W. Lehr 1975 - Mike White 1979 - Dale Baumgardner 1983 - William F. Waris 1991 - Marsha Murphy 1995 - Katheryn Shields 2007 - Mike Sanders 2016 - Fred Arbanas (Temporary)* 2016 - Frank White 2025 - Kay Barnes (Temporary)* 2025 - Phil LeVota
References
External links Jackson County Executive