Submitted by: Mary Snyder

In the process of researching Judge George Chandler, who was the Assistant  secretery of the dept of the interior when Oklahoma territory was opened for settlement, I found this obit for Judge Ritter in a Baxter Springs, Kansas newspaper. Baxter Springs News, February 16, 1896  (Baxter Springs, Cherokee county, Kansas)

Judge J. N. Ritter dead John N. Ritter died at Battle Creek, Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 8, 1896, at 10 o’clock a.m.  Death was due to a complication of kidney and stomach troubles and to mental worry brought on by the failure some time ago of the banking house of Ritter & Doubleday of Columbus.  John Newton Ritter was born in St. Joseph county, Indiana, near South Bend, on February 8, 1844.  He died February 8, 1896, on his fifty-second birthday anniversary.  His father, Jacob Ritter, who still lives, and who was present at the bedside of his son when he died, was the first white settler of St. Joseph county.  His grandfather, on his father’s side was a native of Germany, and a soldier under Gen. Harrison in the war of 1812.  His mother, Elizabeth Miller, was the daughter of a Dunkard minister. Mr. Ritter’s early education was that of the common schools of Indiana at that time – three months schooling to nine months of toil on the farm or in the shop.  He spent a year however, in the Northern Indiana College and then entered the law office of Hon. W.G. George of South Bend to study law.  He subsequently, in March, 1866, graduated from the law department of the State University at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was admitted to the bar in the courts of Indiana.  In the fall of 1867, he located in this county, which has ever since been his home. He was married May 5^th. 1870, to Miss Anna E. Patty, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. L.P. Patty, at that time residents of Chetopa, afterward residents of Wichita.  Five children was the result of the union, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are living except one son. Judge Ritter was elected county attorney in 1868; was re-elected in 1870, and again in 1878, serving in all six years as public prosecutor and during most of the turbulent times incident to the early settlement of the county. In the spring of 1871 he was elected mayor of Columbus and re-elected in 1872. In the fall of 1884 he was the candidate of the Republican party for state senator from this district, and was elected. In the spring of 1889 Hon. George Chandler, then judge of the Eleventh judicial district, having resigned to accept the position of Assistant Secretary of the Interior at Washington, Mr. Ritter was appointed by Gov. Humphrey to fill the vacancy on the bench.  The appointment was only good until the general election in the fall, but so satisfactorally had Judge Ritter fulfilled the duties of Judge that no one thought of his having any opposition to election untal a very short time prior to election.  The election that fall was the beginning of a revolution in Kansas politics.  A candidate was sprung on the eve of election in opposition to Judge Ritter and he was defeated with others who were so unfortunate as to be candidates that year. Funeral services were held on Monday, Feb 10, and the remains interred at South Bend, Ind.