William Edgar Bundy

FAMILY
William Edgar Bundy was born October 4, 1866, at Wellston, Jackson Co., Ohio, and died August 16, 1903, at his apartments at the Dennison Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio.

His parents were William Sanford and Kate (nee Thompson) Bundy of Ohio. The father left college to go into the army at the start of the Civil War. He was wounded at Bean Station, Tennessee, in December, 1863, was mustered out of the service in 1864 and died from the injury in 1867. The mother was thrown from a horse in 1868 and died from the injuries.

Young Bundy then lived with his grandfather, Hezekiah S. Bundy, at Wellston. The grandfather had been the leading iron manufacturer of Ohio. The grandfather had served several terms as a State Senator, three terms as a member of Congress and as the Representative from the Tenth Congressional District. Hezekiah's daughters were Lucy, wife of John C. H. Cobb, a Wellston pioneer and Civil War hero, Julia, wife of Governor and U. S. Senator Joseph B. Foraker, and Eliza, wife of of Harvey Wells, the founder of Wellston. (Interestingly, after five years of marriage Eliza and Harvey divorced and five years later, he married Eliza's niece and Williams E. Bundy's sister, Laura.)

On May 8, 1890 (1892?), W. E. Bundy married Eva E. Leedom, daughter of Hon. John P. Leedom, of West Union, Ohio. Mr. Leedom was, at one time, a U. S. House of Representative from Ohio. The Bundy's had one son, Sanford W. (born 1893). They lived at the northwest corner of Wayland and Ivanhoe Avenues, later identified as 1836 Wayland Avenue. (The 1900 Census records Emma Lauderback, 43, as a servant in their household.)

EDUCATION
W. E. Bundy received his early schooling in the district schools of Wellston. He attended the Ohio University, Athens, from which he was graduated in 1886 (1884?), receiving the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Law. Colonel Bundy was also Province President of the Phi Delta Theta. One year prior to his graduation, he began the publication of the Wellston Argus, a weekly newspaper, Republican in politics. From 1886 to 1888, after his graduation, he became associate editor of the Ohio Mining Journal, the official organ of the Institute of Ohio Mining Engineers. During this latter period he began the study of law. In 1887, he came to Cincinnati to attend the Cincinnati Law School, from which he was graduated in May, 1889 (1890?). (Need to investigate - if he received a doctorate of law from O.U., why did he need a law degree from Cincinnati?)

POLITICS AND CAREER
After graduation, he began the practice of law in Cincinnati, forming a law partnership with Joseph G. Obermeyre and Clifford Woods (note: this was very similar to the name of a race horse, Clifford Wood, later owned by A. C. Strobel of Norwood), who was later the Mayor of Evanston. The firm name was Bundy, Obermeyre & Woods. In May, 1889, be was elected colonel of the Ohio Division, Sons of Veterans. On December 20, 1901, he was commissioned colonel of the First Regiment Infantry, Ohio National Guard. He was Secretary of the Board of Elections in Hamilton County 1889-90, succeeding Col. D. W. McClung. In April, 1891, he was elected solicitor of Norwood. He held that position on four different occasions. Col. Bundy was appointed with several other men to guide the preliminary work to improving the Montgomery Boulevard according to a law passed by the Ohio State legislature (probably in 1894). Also, he was the Attorney of the Elsmere Building and Loan Company, a real estate business with operations in Norwood. In 1898, he was appointed the Federal District Attorney for Southern Ohio by President McKinley and reappointed by President Roosevelt in 1902.

Wm. E. Bundy represented the Village of Norwood in many lawsuits. Many of these at the end of the 19th century were concerned with property tax assessments. Some of these were: