Almiron E. Leet

ALMIRON E. LEET has been well known in business circles in Lyon County for more than a quarter of a century. He was formerly a resident of Bushong, and then became proprietor of the principal hardware and implement house at Americus, and occupied the honorable position of mayor of that little city.

He is a New York State man and his ancestors, came from England to Connecticut in colonial times. He was born at Meredith, Delaware County, New York, November 17, 1855, a son of William Edward and Hulda (Fox) Leet. His father was born at Meredith in 1815 and died there in 1862, while his mother was born in Meredith in 1819 and her death occurred at the old home in 1903. His father was a merchant at Meredith for many years. In politics he was a democrat and he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. There were four children: Onslow, died at the age of seven, and Roselia died at seventeen. The two now living are Amasa Fox and Almiron E., the former associated with his brother at Americus.

Mr. Leet was sent to the public schools in Meredith until he was seventeen years of age. After that he took up farming and that was his vocation in New York for six years. Following that came five years of experience in merchandising at Margretville, New York, and with this varied experience and equipment he came out to Kansas in 1888 and locating at Bushong in Lyon County opened a stock of hardware. For twenty-two years he was the leading hardware merchant of that town, and on selling out his interests there moved to Americus and established his hardware store at the corner of Main and Broadway streets. By fair and courteous dealings, Mr. Leet built up a trade which extended over a large part of Lyon County. Besides general hardware he handled pumps, windmills and much farm machinery.

It was in the fall of 1913 that he was elected mayor of Americus and he gave a very careful and praiseworthy administration of its municipal affairs. Politically he is a democrat. Mr. Leet is treasurer to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Americus, belongs to Americus Lodge No. 109, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, but was raised in the Masonic Lodge No. 389 at Margretville, New York. He also belongs to Chapter No. 315 of the Eastern Star at Americus.

In his native Town of Meredith in 1881 Mr. Leet married Miss Julia McCormack, who was born at Margretville, New York, in 1858, daughter of the late Michael McCormack. Mrs. Leet after thirty-two years of married companionship passed away on May 24, 1913. Her oldest child Carrier died in childhood. E. Mae, the only surviving daughter, is a graduate of Lindsborg College in Kansas, and also of the Columbia College of Expression at Chicago, and is thoroughly trained and equipped for the teaching of expression and English. The two younger children were Celia, who died at the age of two years, and Edward, who also died young. Recently the daughter, Miss E. Mae Leet, accepted a position as teacher of Expression and English in Topeka and Mr. Leet sold his hardware business at Americus and resigned as mayor and removed to that city.

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