County Assessor : This office is of comparatively recent origin and has been filled in turn by A. S. Reed, E. P. Sweeney, John Jelinek, J. A. Keegan and John Pilkington, the last named being the present incumbent.

Box Butte county can well be proud of those who have served it in an official capacity. The offices have been quite equally distributed between the political parties, and there has never been a shortage, an arrest, a scandal, or indictment attaching to a single public official.

State Officials

Box Butte county has never had a state official outside of the legislative branch of state government. In 1901, J. H. Van Boskirk was a member of the state senate, being the first in that capacity from the county. Earl D. Mallery served in the same capacity, in the session of 1915, he being the second and last state senator from the county to date.

L. W. Gilchrist was the first member of the legislature, in 1889. Then in 1913, Earl D. Mallery was a member. Frank M. Broome was chosen for that post in 1915, and was later appointed Receiver of the United States Land Office at Valentine. In 1917 Lloyd C. 'Thomas was chosen. Thomas was one of the members joining in the introduction of the Nebraska mineral statute, which was passed at an extraordinary session of the legislature in 1918. He volunteered for the world war, but was not inducted into service owing to its abrupt end.

John W. Thomas w;as deputy state land commissioner during the administration of G L. Shumwav as chief of that office, during 1917 and 1918.