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Barnstable County Commissioners: A Historical Record

National County Government Month > Barnstable County Commissioners: A Historical Record

Since the formation of the Barnstable County Board of Commissioners in 1828, more than 100 individuals from across Cape Cod have served in this vital regional leadership role. This page honors their service and tracks the evolution of county governance from its earliest days to the present.

A Legacy of County Leadership Since 1828

The modern-day Barnstable County Commissioners trace their roots back to a significant change in county governance that occurred in 1828. That year, the Massachusetts Legislature abolished the Court of Sessions and the Commissioners of Highways, replacing them with a new governing body: the Barnstable County Board of Commissioners.

This change centralized administrative and fiscal oversight under a three-member board responsible for county affairs—a structure that remains in place today.

The First Commissioners

The first appointed members of this new Board were:

    • Samuel T. Croswell of Falmouth

    • Matthew Cobb of Barnstable

    • Obed Brooks of Harwich

Elected Commissioners and Evolving Governance

In 1835, the Board of Commissioners transitioned from appointed to elected members. A major reform came in 1854, when staggered terms were introduced to ensure continuity. Under that system, one Commissioner was elected each year for a three-year term.

Today, Barnstable County Commissioners are elected to serve four-year terms, with elections staggered so that not all seats are up for election at the same time. This system helps ensure experienced leadership is always present.

 

    • Samuel P. Croswell – Falmouth (1828)

    • Matthew Cobb – Barnstable (1828)

    • Obed Brooks – Harwich (1828)

By a statute of April 1835, the Board was reorganized, and the following persons were elected for a term of three years

  • Jesse Boyden – Sandwich (1835)

  • Jesse Boyden – Sandwich (1838)

  • Michael Collins – Eastham (1835)

  • Michael Collins – Eastham (1838)

  • Alexander Baxter – Yarmouth (1835)

  • Charles Sears – Yarmouth (1838)

  • Zenas D. Bassett – Barnstable (1841)

  • Isaac Hardy – Chatham (1841)

  • John Newcomb – Wellfleet (1841)

  • John Newcomb – Wellfleet (1844)

  • John Newcomb – Wellfleet (1847)

  • Seth Crowell – Dennis (1844)

  • Seth Crowell – Dennis (1847)

  • Seth Crowell – Dennis (1850)

  • Ebenezer Nye – Falmouth (1844)

  • Ebenezer Nye – Falmouth (1847)

  • John Doane – Orleans (1850)

  • John Doane – Orleans (1853)

  • David K. Akin – Yarmouth (1850)

  • David K. Akin – Yarmouth (1853)

  • Simeon Dillingham – Sandwich (1853)

The Act of March 11, 1854, required the Commissioners to select one of their members by ballot to retire in 1854, another to retire in 1855, and the third to serve until 1856. It also established the system of electing one Commissioner each year to serve a three-year term.

  • David A. Smith – Provincetown (1855)

  • William Hewins – Falmouth (1856)

  • Edward W. Ewer – Sandwich (1856, 1858)

  • James Gifford – Provincetown (1857)

  • Joseph H. Sears – Brewster (1859, 1862)

  • John W. Davis – Wellfleet (1860)

  • Erasmus Gould – Falmouth (1861, 1864)

  • Daniel Paine – Truro (1863, 1866, 1869)

  • James S. Howes – Dennis (1864–1885)

  • Ebenezer S. Whittemore – Sandwich (1867–1876)

  • Elijah E. Knowles – Eastham (1872)

  • Jonathan Higgins – Orleans (1875)

  • Joshua C. Robinson – Falmouth (1876–1888)

  • Nathan D. Freeman – Provincetown (1881)

  • Solomon E. Hallett – Chatham (1886, 1889)

  • Samuel Snow – Barnstable (1888, 1891)

  • Isaiah C. Young – Wellfleet (1888, 1889)

  • John H. Clark – Brewster (1892, 1895)

  • Richard A. Rich – Truro (1893, 1896)

  • Joshua C. Robinson – Falmouth (1894, 1897)

  • Henry H. Fisk – Dennis (1898)

 

  • Henry H. Fisk – Dennis (1900)

  • Alexander T. Newcomb – Orleans (1900, 1904, 1910)

  • George I. Briggs – Bourne (1900, 1903, 1906)

  • Thomas H. Soule – Barnstable (1904–1912)

  • Lafayette K. Chase – Yarmouth (1905–1913)

  • William H. Tubman – Wellfleet (1911–1916)

  • Benjamin F. Bourne – Bourne (1913–1938)

  • Joshua A. Nickerson – Chatham (1914–1928)

  • Frank G. Thacher – Hyannis (1917–1924)

  • John D. W. Bodfish – Barnstable (1925–1928)

  • James Milton Leonard – Osterville (1929–1932)

  • Walter R. Nickerson – South Dennis (1932–1948)

  • Charles W. Megathlin – Hyannis (1933–1938)

  • William J. Lockhart – Falmouth (1939–1958)

  • H. Heyworth Backus – Centerville (1949–1952)

  • Oscar J. Cahoon – Harwichport (1959–1970)

  • H. Heyworth Backus – Centerville (1974)

  • Nathan S. Ellis, Jr. – Falmouth (1960–1984)

  • Frederick V. Lawrence – Falmouth (1960–1972)

  • Roger L. Savery – Falmouth (1972, 1976, 1980, 1984)

  • Charles W. Eager – South Yarmouth (1974, 1976, 1980, 1984)

  • Edward A. Crowell – South Dennis (1974, 1978, 1982, 1985)

  • John W. Doane – Chatham (1984, 1988, 1992)

  • Robert A. O’Leary – Cummaquid (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)

  • Victoria H. Lowell – Falmouth (1988, 1992)

  • Christine Dolen – Falmouth (1996)

  • Mary J. LeClair – Mashpee (1996)

  • Lance Lambros – Sandwich (2000)*

  • Roland J. Dupont – Bourne (2000)*

  • Mary J. LeClair – Mashpee (2000, 2004)

  • Lance Lambros – Sandwich (2004, 2008)

  • William Doherty – Harwich (2002, 2006, 2010)

  • MaryPat Flynn – Falmouth (2008, 2012, 2016)

  • Sheila Lyons – Wellfleet (2008, 2012, 2020, 2024)

  • Leo Cakounes – Harwich (2014)

  • Ronald Beaty – Barnstable (2016)

  • Ronald Bergstrom – Chatham (2018, 2022)

  • Mark Forest – Yarmouth (2020, 2024)

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