Nodaway County's Youngest Sheriff - James B. Prather

James B. Prather was elected sheriff of Nodaway County in 1856, just eleven years after the county was officially recognized by the state legislature. He was and remains the youngest man ever elected to the office of sheriff in Nodaway County. He was just twenty-five years old. Mr. Prather was one of the early settlers of the county. He bred high-quality thoroughbred horses. He was a founding member and Master Mason (1867) of the Maryville Masonic Lodge #470. He was a founder of Nodaway Valley Bank in Maryville. And, he was later appointed to serve on the Missouri State Board of Health.

(Photo courtesy of Masonic Lodge #470 of Maryville, Missouri.)