Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas Russell Henry Fisher Bio

BUTLER COUNTY'S EIGHTY YEARS BIOS

RUSSELL HENRY FISHER

(Transcribed by Peggy Luce)

Russell Henry Fisher, a practicing attorney at the age of 19 years, newspaper reporter, editorial and feature writer and author, was born at Saverton, Missouri, July 19, 1880, the son of John and Loucilla Fisher, both natives of Missouri. His death occurred July 31, 1932, in Albany, Oregon, at the home of his niece, Mrs. Fisher Marks. Previous to his death, he had for a year been on the editorial staff of the Woodland (California) Democrat.

No sooner had Russell Fisher launched into a promising career as a lawyer, at New London, Missouri, in 1899, than he became attracted to newspaper work, for which he had an outstanding talent. He was at various times associated with the Philadelphia Public Ledger, the Rocky Mountain News at Denver; the Galveston (Texas) News; the Atlanda (Georgia) Constitution, the Birmingham (Alabama) Age-Herald, the Daily Oklahoman when C. C. Shelden, Sr., was managing editor of that newspaper, the Wichita Eagle, the Walnut Valley Times and other newspapers. For several years he was editor of a group of trade journals, in Atlanta. At one time he declined a telegraphed offer of a position on a New York City newspaper. His particular genius was perhaps for writing history and biography. He was author of Biographical Sketches of Wilmington Citizens (North Carolina) and Biographical Sketches of El Dorado Citizens, (Kansas). Some of his excellent work in his El Dorado book is reproduced in the biographical and historical sections of this volume.

From 1919 until 1920, Mr. Fisher was secretary of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Baptist Church and an ardent Democrat. On August 6, 1917, Mr. Fisher was married to Harriet May Hull, at Denver, Colorado. To this union was born one child, Christine Ann, who died on the day of her birth, December 24, 1920. Mrs. Fisher is a teacher in El Dorado schools. A review of her ancestral lines appears in the sketch of her father, the late Thomas Alonzo Hull, in this volume.

On August 1, 1932 R. A. Clymer said editorially in The El Dorado Times:

The death of Russell H. Fisher, Saturday, brought sorrow to scores of residents of this town, where he spent many of the productive years of his life. He was an excellent newspaper man with a flair for sound writing and for making friends, that carried him far in his profession. These are the fundamentals, and Russell Fisher possessed them to an extraordinary degree. It isn’t fine writin’ that stands out in the fields of literature and newspaperdom. It is a simple narration of facts or fancies set down by clever hands, animated by an earnest and honest soul. This was Russell Fisher’s gift and he made splendid use of it. He had a magnificent aptitude for making and holding friends. He was interested in them and their welfare – unselfishly so – and he bound them to him with “hoops of steel.” He was kind, obliging and democratic. None were too high or too low to be numbered among the ranks of his friends – and he went out of his way constantly and unremittingly to do them favors. His was a tender and loyal heart. If he had a fault, it was to decry his own worthiness. But he stuck to his friends, was always unable to see anything wrong in them and was ever quick to seek and praise their virtues.

Russell Fisher – fine friend – has gone, and there will be none to take his place.