Jeremiah M. "Doc" Standley

JEREMIAH M. STANDLEY (aka DOC STANDLEY)

The Iron Man of Mendocino

The short biography which follows relies heavily upon the account produced for Find A Grave Memorial by A. Seeker

Jeremiah "Doc" Standley was born on August 20, 1845 in Andrew County, Missouri. He was the son of Harrison and Elizabeth Standley. When he was 8 years of age, the family moved away from Missouri to settle in California. He married Sarah Chastity Clay in 1868 and they had four children:- Minnie J. Standley, Nellie Frances Standley, Jessie N. Standley, or Hildreth, and one son, William Harrison Standley, afterwards Admiral William Harrison Standley.

As a young man he worked on the ranch of his father Harrison Standley, as well as in the family's hotel, the Ukiah House.The lifelong nickname of "Doc" was earned as a boy after he doctored a sick cow back to health. At 16 he leased a ranch and began raising cattle, later entering school in Ukiah to complete his education.

In 1864, at the age of 19, he was appointed a deputy sheriff, in Medocino County, and held that position until 1866. He then served as a teacher in Ukiah for 5 years before once more being appointed deputy in 1872. In 1874, laid off from the department due to budget cuts, he leased a sheep ranch, but continued to volunteer his services as a deputy whenever needed. He was elected sheriff of Mendocino county in 1882 and held that position until 1892. After being defeated in his bid for re-election, he continued to work his ranch and serve as a deputy sheriff, working at times as a special detective for Wells Fargo. In January 1896 he was wounded while attempting to capture a man who had robbed a stagecoach in the area.

In 1897, fully recovered from his wounds, Doc joined in the Klondike gold rush. He settled in Nome, Alaska and engaged in the mining and freighting business, as well as serving as a deputy sheriff. His wife soon joined him, and the couple remained in Alaska until 1902, when they returned home to Ukiah. They remained there for a year or so, before returning to Alaska, this time accompanied by their youngest daugher Jessie.

In 1908 Doc fell on a staircase and injured his spine. The injury gradually paralized him and caused him to go blind. Sarah and Jessie began the journey to take Doc back home to California. They stopped for a few days of rest in Seattle, and then again in Portland, Oregan. On July 8, 1908, while in Portland, Doc passed away.His body was returned home and buried in Ukiah Cemetery.

During his 30 years of public service, Doc became known as one of the great lawmen of the Old West, and when he died, the editor of the Ukiah Dispatch-Democrat stated that "Doc Standley was one of the best men this country has ever produced."

His family links follow: Parent's Names: Harrison Standley (1814 - 1886) and Elizabeth Gladden Shelton Standley (1814 - 1909). Children's Names: Minnie Jane Standley Jamison (1870 - 1959), Nell Francis Standley Gibson (1875 - 1927), Jessie Norma Standley Hildreth (1884 - 1986), and William Harrison Standley. Doc's wife was Sarah Charity Clay Standley (1851 - 1913)

The Mendinco Outlaws

Neil Reid Ford adds the following: John Boessenecker's book: Badge and Buckshot. Lawlessness in Old California [Norman University of Oklahoma Press, 1988], gives a good account of Doc Standley's investigation of the murder of Catherine Strong and his pursuit and capture of: "The Mendinco Outlaws". Boessenecker dubs Standley as: "The Iron Man of Mendocino".