Daniel Joseph McLaughlin (Term 1881-1882)

Judge Daniel Joseph McLaughlin (April 7, 1831 - August 14, 1903) was the first appointed Mayor for the newly formed municipality known as the City of Deadwood.  Born on April 7, 1831 in Troy, New York, McLaughlin spent his formative years in Wisconsin.  In 1854 at the age of 23, McLaughlin studied law at Carrol College in Waukesha, Wisconsin under the guidance of attorneys W.A. and G.M. Randall.  Six year later, McLaughlin was admitted to the bar at Dakota City, Nebraska in 1860.  One year later in 1861, he married Miss Ellen McCune and was elected a member of the Territorial Legislature from Dakota County, Nebraska.  After his term in office, McLaughlin relocated and practiced law in Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Cheyenne, Wyoming.  In April of 1877, McLaughlin relocated to Deadwood Gulch and was accredited for bringing the first Catholic priest to the northern Black Hills.  In 1881, McLaughlin was appointed as the first Mayor of the newly formed municipality of Deadwood.  In addition to his legal profession, McLaughlin was an astute scholar on history and the mining industry. On August 14, 1903, McLaughlin died and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.