ALBION'S CITY MARSHALS

When does Marshall have only one "L" in it? Answer: When it's the chief law enforcement person. When Albion became a city in 1885, we were on the Mayoral/Alderman system of government. There were four Wards (North, South, East, and West). The Mayor and the Aldermen held the power and made daily decisions, unlike today where a City Manager takes care of the daily operations of our community. The head of our police force was the City Marshal, not a Chief of Police. This arrangement lasted until January 1, 1916, when Albion switched to the City Manager form of government. At that time law-enforcement was re-organized into a police department, headed by a Police Chief.

Who were our pioneer Albion City Marshals and the years they served? Here is the list: John Phipps, 1885; Nicholas Plough, 1886; John Phipps, 1887; Frank N. Austin 1888; Henry F. Gutches, 1889, 1890; Frank A. Graham, 1891; William S. Price 1892-1893; Edward C. Shaffer, 1894; George Caleb, 1895; Frank A. Graham, 1896; George R. Carver, 1897; Frederick W. Clark, 1898 and 1899; Fred W. Schumacher 1900; N. Dean Harroun, 1901, 1902; Erva J. Mallory, 1903, 1904, 1905; Frederick W. Clark, 1906, 1907, 1908; Oscar H. Cooper, 1909, 1910; Ernest J. Winchell, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914; and Ezra M. Sova, 1915.

From our Historical Notebook this week we feature a photo of one of Albion's City Marshals, Frederick W. Clark (1858-1943), who served in 1898 and 1899. An Albion native, Clark lived here all his life. He was originally employed by the Gale Manufacturing Company. After serving in his law-enforcement career, Frederick worked for 18 years at the Michigan Electric Railway car shops out on Austin Avenue at the west city limits. He was also a member of the local Odd Fellows lodge. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery. In this 1898 photo, look at that big badge he is wearing. It states in big letters: "CITY MARSHAL." Below, the buttons on his coat state "POLICE" on them. How many of our readers had ancestors that worked in law enforcement in the City of Albion?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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