Joseph H. Bunce

Joseph Henry Bunce (December 15, 1823 - February 27, 1908) was the nineteenth Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, from 1869 to 1870.

Joseph Henry Bunce
19th Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
In office 1869–1870
Preceded by	Philip Tomppert
Succeeded by	John George Baxter
Personal details
Born	(1823-12-15)December 15, 1823 New York, U.S.
Died	February 27, 1908(1908-02-27) (aged 84) Lyons, Colorado, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Josephine Mullins Henrietta Truitt ​ (m. 1886)​
Children	4

Biography

Joseph Henry Bunce was born on December 15, 1823, in New York.^[1] He was a steamboat captain until the mid-1860s, when he founded a wholesale grocery firm. Typical of Louisville steamboat captains, he lived with his family in the Portland district.

A Democrat, he ran against future mayor John G. Baxter and police chief Robert Gilchriest in 1869. Despite not being endorsed by the Democratic Party or The Courier-Journal, Bunce won by 300 votes over Baxter.

He was elected to a two-year term, but the city charter was changed in 1870 to allow for a three-year term and Bunce chose to run again for a new term, and was defeated this time by Baxter.

In 1888, he built the first area school, which is still known as the Bunce school. He was appointed postmaster of the Bunce station in October 1895.^[2] In 1896 he was justice of the peace for Allenspark and Jamestown.^[3] Bunce was a significant figure in Allenspark, Colorado, history, homesteading near there in 1897.^[4]

Around 1900, he moved to Lyons, Colorado, where he was elected justice of the peace in 1901 and later mayor.

Bunce married Josephine Mullins (1828–1882) and had four children who survived, Mary Alice, Charles William, Harriet Archer, and Marshall Halbert. On January 9, 1886, he married Henrietta Truitt (1831–1925) in Boulder County, Colorado.^[5]

He died on February 27, 1908, in Lyons, Colorado.

References

1. Longmont Ledger (Longmont, Boulder County), February 28, 1908
2. 1. 770-O Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado
3. Boulder Daily Camera (Boulder, Boulder County), September 21, 1896
4. BLM Gov't. Land Office #COCOAA 037544
5. Boulder County Colorado Clerk and Recorder

Further reading

• Yater, George H. (1987). Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County (2nd ed.). Louisville, KY: Filson Club, Incorporated. ISBN 0-9601072-3-1.
• "Joseph H. Bunce". The Encyclopedia of Louisville (1 ed.). 2001. p. 146.
• Knowlton, Lorna; DeWeese, Edie (2011). Weaving Mountain Memories: Recollections of the Allenspark Area (2nd ed.). Allenspark, CO: The Allenspark Wind. ISBN 978-0-9625286-1-3.

Political offices
Preceded by Philip Tomppert	Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky 1869–March 1870	Succeeded by John G. Baxter