Joseph M. Fletcher

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Joseph M. Fletcher (November 5, 1831 – 1882) was a British-born American lawyer, land agent, and civic leader in the Washington Territory. He served on Vancouver’s city council and was the fifth mayor, from 1869 to 1871. Born in England, his family moved to Maryland as a child, and they later settled in Vancouver in 1861. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as Register of the Vancouver branch of the U.S. General Land Office in 1861, a key role in distributing public lands.

In Vancouver, Fletcher was active in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, serving as Senior Warden for many years and helping lead Sunday School. He was involved in local politics and business, including work with the Columbia Transportation Company and the People’s Transportation Company. He was married first to Rhoda; they had three children before she died in 1868. He later married Sara Kidwell and had two more children.

Fletcher disappeared in early March 1882, and his body was found in the Columbia River later that year. Officials ruled his death a drowning, though no autopsy was performed.