Herman Frederick Newblock Explained

Term Start:1932
Term End:1934
Term Start1:1922
Term End1:1928
Office2:Tulsa County Sheriff
Term Start2:October 1908
Term End2:1911
Predecessor2:Lon Lewis
Term Start3:January 16, 1911
Term End3:May 3, 1912
Predecessor3:Charles W. Conneely
Successor3:Edward Yoder
Term Start4:August 8, 1907
Term End4:October 1, 1908
Predecessor4:Position established
Successor4:Jess Sam Walker
Birth Date:12 January 1867
Death Place:Tulsa, Oklahoma

Herman Frederick Newblock was an American politician and police officer who served as the 16th and 19th Mayor of Tulsa from 1922 to 1928 and 1932 to 1934.

He is one of two mayors, the other being John O. Mitchell, who served non-consecutive terms. According to the city of Tulsa, he was known as "Tulsa's Grand Old Man of Politics" and Newblock Park is named after him.

Biography

Herman Frederick Newblock was born on January 12, 1867, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Henry Newblock and Elizabeth Wagner. Newblock's family moved to Missouri, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Falls County, Texas, before settling in Cleveland County, Oklahoma Territory in 1894.[1]

He became the sheriff of Cleveland County in 1895. He briefly operated a hardware store in Sulpher, Chickasaw Nation before settling in Tulsa in 1905. He was appointed Tulsa's police chief in 1907 and served until October 1908 when he was appointed to succeed Lon Lewis as Tulsa County sheriff. In 1911 he left the sheriff's office to return to his previous position as chief of police. He left again in 1914 to work for Producers National Bank until 1917. From 1917 to 1921 he was Tulsa's finance commissioner.

In 1922 Newport, a Democrat, was elected as the 16th mayor of Tulsa in 1922 and served until 1928. In 1924, the Spavinaw Water Project finished development providing water for the city. In 1927, Newblock Park was named after him. He was elected to his second tenure as mayor from 1932 to 1934. He died on August 19, 1957, in Tulsa. According to the city of Tulsa, he was known as "Tulsa's Grand Old Man of Politics."[2]

Family

He married Addie Gardner on March 4, 1897.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wilson . Linda D. . Newblock, Herman Frederick (1867–1957). . okhistory.org . . 14 January 2024.
  2. Web site: Gallery of Mayors . . 13 January 2024.