Edward L. Kingsbury, of Arkansas City, president of the Kansas Southwestern railroad, was born in Burlington, Kan., Oct. 7, 1862, and is a son of Judge Burton L. Kingsbury, who was one of the most prominent and best known of the early Kansas pioneers. Judge Kingsbury was born in Towanda, Pa., April 7, 1832, and came to Lawrence, Kan., during the anti-slavery troubles of 1856, and to Burlington, or to where Burlington now stands, in 1857. He preëmpted land in Coffey county and was married there in July, 1860, to Miss Lucy A. Vince, a native of Ohio and the daughter of one of the earliest settlers in Kansas. They became the parents of three sons and two daughters, viz: Edward L. Kingsbury, the subject of this review; George Kingsbury of Seattle, Wash.; Mrs. E. J. Lang of Burlington, Kan.; Mrs. R. A. Hampshire of Manitou, Col.; and Emil Kingsbury of Burlington, Kan. Such, briefly, were the main events of Judge Kingsbury's family life, but of his life at Burlington, the position he occupied in the community, and the part he played in the history of the town would require a volume, if given in detail, for no one was more intimately connected with the early development of Burlington than he. He was appointed probate judge by Governor Medary in 1859, and under the territorial laws it became his duty to preëmpt the townsite of Burlington, which he did, his predecessor, W. R. Saunders, having resigned to escape that duty. He was again appointed to this office to fill a vacancy in 1875, and was reëlected three times, holding it until 1881, or fourteen years in all. In 1860 he was elected county clerk and held that position two years. In 1874 he was elected to the legislature and served one term. He also served five years as a member of the board of regents of the Kansas State Agricultural College, being appointed by Governor Anthony in 1877. He was instrumental in securing for Burlington its first paper, the "Neosho Valley Register," established in 1864, of which the "Burlington Republican" is the successor. He at one time had an extensive acquaintance in the state and was recognized as one of the leaders in the Republican party in Kansas. Judge Kingsbury also possessed much literary ability, and earned distinction both as a journalist and as a historian. He was the author of the History of Coffey County that has been published in atlas and book form, and is recognized as standard authority. For amusement he frequently wrote rhymes that attracted attention, a sample of which was a book of campaign songs written in 1892 that gained an extensive circulation in the state. His talent in that direction caused him to be called upon frequently to contribute poems on occasions of public celebrations. In the death of Judge Kingsbury on July 24, 1904, Coffey county lost one of its most useful and respected citizens and Kansas one of its earliest and most valued pioneers. Judge Kingsbury was a son of Burton L. Kingsbury, Sr., who was born in Pennsylvania and spent his entire life in his native state.

Edward L. Kingsbury has followed closely the precedent set by his father in living a life full of accomplishment. He was reared in Burlington and there attended the public schools, supplementing his studies there by a two-years course at the Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan from 1878 to 1880. His whole subsequent career has been identified with railroad work and his rise from a telegraph operator to president of a railroad is but another proof that merit, industry and integrity, wherever found, will always win deserved recognition. Mr. Kingsbury, as stated, began his railroad career in 1880 and from May, 1881, to June, 1885, was an operator for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad; from 1885 to 1886 he did station service for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad in their work through the Indian Territory; from January, 1888, to 1892 he was station agent for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; from May, 1892, to March, 1897, was commercial accountant for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe system; from March, 1897, to October, 1898, was an accountant in the general offices of the St. Louis, Kansas & Southwestern railroad; from October, 1898, to January, 1899, was auditor for that railroad; and from 1899 to 1902 he was auditor and treasurer of that road. In 1903 Mr. Kingsbury was made president and general manager of the Kansas Southwestern railroad and has been retained in that responsible position to the present time.

On Oct. 7, 1885, Mr. Kingsbury married Miss Etta Barnett, the daughter of Ira Barnett, who came to Kansas from Iowa and located in Arkansas City. Mr. Barnett engaged very extensively in shipping and raising cattle, but is now retired from active business and still resides in Arkansas City. Mr. and Mrs. Kingsbury have one son, Everett Kingsbury, who is now engaged in newspaper work on "The Herald" at Rochester, N. Y. A daughter, Bernice, born in 1888, a graduate of Bethany College, Topeka, died on Jan. 13, 1911. Mr. Kingsbury is a Knight Templar Mason and has held all the offices of his commandery, being at the present time Past Eminent Commander. Politically he is a Republican and has served as a member of the Arkansas City school board six years. Both he and his wife are members of the Episcopalian church.