Obit Index
Updated: 08 Sep 2009

FRANK DALE
November 26, 1849 – February 10, 1930

Judge Frank Dale , chief justice of the Territorial Supreme Court of Oklahoma Territory from 1893-1898. Born in Somonauk, Illinois, he pioneered both in Kansas and Oklahoma, becoming a well-known attorney in both states. Both the towns of Andale, Kansas, and Dale, Oklahoma, are named for him.

Frank Dale was born Nov. 26, 1849 on a farm in DeKalb county, Illinois, son of Frank and Mariah (Webster) Dale, both natives of England. The elder Frank Dale was a sometime Methodist minister who had grown to manhood in Pennsylvania, then moved to Michigan for a time before moving to Illinois. In Illinois, he was a merchant of Freeland Corners and at Somonauk before moving to Leland where he was a merchant grain dealer, and farmer. There were eight children born to the Dales, of whom Frank Dale of Guthrie was next to the youngest.

In 1885, Frank Dale was appointed as register (SIC) of the United States Land Office in Wichita. It was here, dealing with homestead claims of settlers in western Kansas, that he obtained invaluable experience for his successful practice of law before the Land Office in Guthrie after the famous Run.

Also in 1885, Dale married on June 10, Martha Wood, daughter of Daniel and Idell Wood.

Dale continued in the Land Office at Wichita(s) until April 22, 1889.

He came to Guthrie on April 22, 1889 by train although he never, claimed to have been on the first train.  He was long regarded as "first citizen" of Guthrie and, living until 80, almost a legend in legal circles in the state. Frank Dale died in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and is buried in the Summit View Cemetery there, along with many other well-known Oklahoma pioneers.

He was the first Town Clerk in Greeley Township [ Wichita County, Kanas] and held that office during the entire period of his residence in that township.

In 1889, he set up practice, immediately after arriving in Guthrie, with W.W. Thomas at 12½ South Second Street. Another partner, McClain, in the law firm apparently never came to Guthrie.

Dale soon dissolved his partnership with Thomas and practiced alone until his appointment to the territorial bench as associate justice May 26, 1893. He was named chief justice of the territorial supreme court in September that year, serving until March 1, 1898.

It was while he was chief justice that one of his actions secured lasting fame in law enforcement circles. Sharing the general concern that "too many" lawmen were being killed in attempts to apprehend desperados of the time, he advised E.D. Nix, then U.S. Marshal for the territory, that dead outlaws were preferable to dead lawmen.

The unusual order-perhaps the only one of its kind ever given by a federal judge-produced results. Within the next six weeks, bodies of nine of the outlaws were brought to Guthrie for identification and the rewards offered by the railways, express companies, and the banks. Judge Dale stressed this point in a letter he wrote in 1928 to Nix recalling the lawlessness of the period and Nix's successful efforts to curb the outlaws.
 

photos courtesy Marti Graham, January 2009
 

Sources:  good faith fair use of sources stated above

Compiled, transcribed and submitted by Marti Graham, Oklahoma County, OKGenWeb Coordinator, February 2009. Information posted for educational purposes for viewers and researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.

I believe in random acts of kindness and I believe in sharing genealogy. If you have copies of photos, obituaries, wills, biographies, or stories relating to any of these families or other Oklahoma County families, would you consider sending them my way for publication at this site?

I always welcome comments and corrections.

I live outside the Oklahoma City area, I cannot personally do any research for you. However I will try to direct you to someone who may help you if you can't find what you want here. Please understand ALL information on this site was contributed by people like you. If it's not on the site, I don't have it. Thanks