By John Rhodes
Special to The Chatham Voice
I enjoy doing biographies on people that I believe have provided a great contribution towards the betterment of Chatham, and one such person was Rufus Stephenson.
He was born at Springfield, Mass. in 1835 and came to Chatham in the early 1850s to apprentice, as a journalist, at the Kent Advertiser which eventually became what is now The Chatham News.
Stephenson’s job, as promised, was not forthcoming, so he then switched his allegiance to the Chatham Weekly Planet and it was probably at this juncture that he developed his Conservative leanings.
In 1857, at the age of just 22, Rufus gained control of the Planet and held that interest until 1878 when he sold out to his son Sydney.
Rufus would gladly support any project, or proposition, that would create growth and jobs including plebiscites to bonus industrial projects and railway acquisitions.
During his early days in Chatham, he volunteered in just about every cause and organization including a stint as chief of the volunteer fire department. He soon became a very popular citizen and this led to an elected position on town council.
He afterwards became the first three term mayor of the town, and in 1867, he defeated incumbent Archie McKellar to become the first post-Confederation MP for the federal riding of West Kent (Chatham-Kent–Leamington) and was to be the first three term MP for the riding.
He retired from politics in the latter 1880s – never having lost an election.
Late in his life, Rufus Stephenson received a federal patronage appointment as customs collector at Winnipeg.
Rufus Stephenson died in 1901 and reposes in Old Ward F, Maple Leaf Cemetery.
In a future Chatham Voice column, I will tell you about his remarkable son, Sydney Stephenson.
