Obituary

Kansan, May 6, 1918


The funeral services of J. B. Fugate were held at the Duff & Son funeral parlors yesterday afternoon, in charge of the Masonic fraternity, Newton lodge No. 142 conducting the service and Newton Commandery No. 9, K. T., furnishing an escort. The deceased was a former presiding officer of both bodies. Mr. Fugate was laid to rest in Greenwood cemetery. He leaves his wife[his second wife Jessie] and five children, Floyd[from his first wife Sadie] Annette, Josephine, Jessamine and Justus. Of these Josephine and Jessamine were the only ones able to attend the services, Mrs. Fugate being confined to her bed. Floyd was on the road and could not be reached by wire. He leaves two brothers, J. H. Fugate of this city, and Robert of Nebraska, and a sister, Mrs. Tullis of Ottumwa, Iowa. The two latter were unable to be here, Mr. Gugate being away from home and Mrs. Tullis being confined to a hospital.

J. B. Fugate was born at Queen City, Mo., Aug. 15,1853. He accompanied his parents to Iowa in 1864. He came to Kansas in the early 70s and in 1876 published a newspaper at Great Bend, while there he was a candidate for the Democrats for congress. He then went back to Iowa and published the Ottumwa Democrat a couple of years, coming to Newton about 1880, establishing the Newton Journal, which he owned and edited until 1903 when he sold out and started a daily paper in Chanute. He sold out there and started a daily at Cherryvale which he conducted a couple of years and then sold the property and moved to Lawrence which city was his home at the time of his death. Mr. Fugate had always in a way considered Newton as "home." While a resident of this county he was counted one of its leading citizens, always sacrificing his own interests in the performance of public service. He served two terms as Postmaster under President Cleveland.