W. R. Gladman, M. D., a prominent physician and surgeon of Tonganoxie, was born near Newark, Licking county, Ohio, Oct. 26, 1846, a son of Jonathan and Mahalah (Houser) Gladman. His father was born in Maryland and his mother in Virginia, both descended from German parents. They spent their lives in Licking county and reared a family of eight children.

W. R. Gladman was reared on his father's farm and received the education afforded by the public schools of that period. At the age of fifteen he enlisted in the Ninth Ohio cavalry to serve in the Civil war. His regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and Mr. Gladman was in some sixty-two engagements, among them being the siege of Knoxville; the battle of Decatur, Ala.; the raid of Marietta, Ga. He then joined Kilpatrick's cavalry regiment and participated in the siege of Atlanta and accompanied Sherman on his famous march to the sea. He was mustered out at Concord, N. C., on July 25, 1865, and discharged from the service at Camp Chase, Ohio, on Aug. 3 of that year. Mr. Gladman returned to his home and remained there until Sept. 6, 1866, when he enlisted in the Seventh United States cavalry, was assigned to Fort Wallace, Kan., and spent the winter there. During 1867 he accompanied General Hancock as far as Denver and was assigned to duty guarding the government stage coaches from the Indians in Western Kansas and Colorado. Subsequently he was at Camp Gibbs and Fort Larned. During the summer of 1868 he was with General Sully looking after renegade Indians, going as far south as Fort Supply, and then returning to Fort Dodge. In November, 1868, Mr. Gladman's regiment was assigned to General Custer's command, when he started on his famous raid after Black Kettle, the celebrated Cheyenne chief, who had been committing depredations along the western border. The command started after the Indians, soon came upon their trail and when near the Indian camp, were forced to hold the horses still, and at this time Custer's bloodhounds were killed because they barked. The battle occurred just after daybreak and Black Kettle was killed by Joseph Bell, and the medal which had been given him by Andrew Jackson was found about his neck. The battle continued until dark, and the next day the command returned to Camp Supply, remaining there until December, watching the Indians. The regiment was then sent to Fort Cobb, and from there north to establish Fort Sill. They trailed Indians all winter, and the following February succeeded in capturing two white women the Indians had taken on the Solomon river. During the campaign the soldiers suffered many hardships from cold and hunger, supplies gave out and they were cut down to one meal a day. During the summer of 1869 Mr. Gladman was at Forts Hays and Leavenworth, spending the winter at the latter. The next summer the regiment was at Fort Hays and campaigned along the Saline river, wintering at Fort Harper. In the spring of 1871 they were ordered to Louisville, Ky., then to Bagdad, at the time of the Ku Klux Klan trouble. Mr. Gladman had been promoted to first sergeant and held that rank when discharged at Bagdad on Sept. 6, 1871. He had been reading medicine while in the army under the direction of Dr. Frazier, the post surgeon at Fort Harker, and after leaving the army entered the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated in 1876. Two years later he began to practice at Fort Scott, Kan., then traveled two years with his invalid wife, in 1883 the Doctor located at Tonganoxie and opened an office, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession, making a specialty of the diseases of women.

In 1871 Dr. Gladman married Samantha Bumcrof, of Marion county, Illinois. She died in 1894 and, in 1897, he married Mrs. Ella Houston of Platte county, Missouri. Dr. Gladman is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Slocum Post, No. 161, and is its commander; belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and is a Republican in politics. He has always taken an active part in campaigns and stumped Leavenworth county for President McKinley.