J. B. T. Marsh


J. B. T. Marsh's involvement with the town and College of Oberlin date to the Civil War era. In 1862, Marsh and a member of the Oberlin faculty, took charge of the Lorain County News. Marsh took the position as city editor. The next year, however, Marsh took a brief absense from his work with the newspaper when he was named a Lieutenant. He served the Union army in the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg. His dedication to the Union and Republicanism led Marsh, along with a number of other prominent citizens of Oberlin, to protest President Andrew Johnson's reconstruction policies. Following hi retirement from newspaper work, Marsh became the Treasurer for Oberlin College in 1875. In 1878, Marsh assumed the position of mayor of Oberlin, serving until 1881.

Source: Wilbur H. Phillips, Oberlin Colony: The Story of a Century (Oberlin, 1933).

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