Sumner C. Holcomb of Yates Center, Kan., an able lawyer of that city, who is now serving his fourth term as county attorney of Woodson county, is an Ohio man by birth and comes of early Colonial and Revolutionary ancestors. The first of the family in America was Thomas Holcomb, an English immigrant who came to this country with the Puritans in 1630. Sumner C. Holcomb was born in Gallia county, Jan. 7, 1857, a son of John E. and Mary (Mathews) Holcomb, natives of Ohio. John E. Holcomb was a merchant at Vinton, Ohio, a number of years, but removed with his family to Missouri in 1868 and died there, Aug. 30, 1889. He was a Republican in politics and served as provost marshal in Ohio during the Civil war. Samuel R. Holcomb, grandfather of Sumner C., was born in Spencerstown, Columbia county, New York, Feb. 28, 1777, and died Jan. 6, 1867. He was a son of Zephaniah Holcomb, who served in the Revolutionary war as a private in Capt. Abner Hawley's company, Eighth regiment of the New York militia, which regiment was from Albany county and was commanded by Col. Robert Van Rensselaer. Phineas Mathews, maternal grandfather of Sumner C. Holcomb and a Virginian by birth, was a captain in the war of 1812 and a very prominent man of his day. He was born in 1770 and removed from Virginia to Ohio, where he engaged in farming, and where he died in 1854. His wife was a Miss Abigail Nobles, born in 1793 and died in 1836.

Sumner C. Holcomb completed his earlier education in the schools of Butler, Mo. Later he attended Ottawa University, Ottawa, Kan., one year. His professional training was received in Butler, Mo., in the law office of his brother, Phineas H. Holcomb, with whom he practiced eight years after his admission to the bar, in 1880. He then removed to Kansas and located at Toronto, where he practiced his profession until 1899, when he became county attorney of Woodson county. He has been reëlected to that office three times as a Democrat in a county that is strongly Republican, which fact of itself is an eloquent testimony of the confidence and esteem Mr. Holcomb commands in Woodson county. He also enjoys a very large and lucrative private practice.

In 1892 Mr. Holcomb was united in marriage to Miss Margaret, daughter of John Trueman, a West Virginian by birth who came to Kansas, about 1875, and was a merchant for a number of years at Toronto, where he resides retired. During the Civil war he served in the Sixth regiment of the West Virginia infantry in defense of the Union. To Mr. and Mrs. Holcomb two children have been born: Lydia G. is a student in the Yates Center High School, and Sumner C., Jr., is also in school.

Mr. Holcomb affiliates fraternally with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Woodmen of the World. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church at Yates Center and stand high in the esteem of their community.