The Wardens of ASP
(research courtesy Dellis Swartzendruber)
Click thumbnail image for larger version

MARTIN HEISEY 1873 - 1876. Martin Heisey was born February 24, 1815 in Switzerland. He grew up in Union County, Pennsylvania and learned the milling business. He left Pennsylvania and came to Burlington, Iowa in 1846. He engaged in the milling business there for many years. From 1861 to 1866 he was Sheriff of Des Moines County. He was elected Warden of the State Penitentiary in Fort Madison from 1866 till 1872. He was appointed one of three Commissioneers to locate an additional prison in Anamosa and served as Warden of Anamosa from 1873 till 1876. He then owned and operated a stone quarry in Stone City, Iowa before returning to Fort Madison. Heisey served on the city councils of Burlington and Fort Madison and was alderman for the City of Fort Madison at the time of his death January 4, 1887.
ANCIL MARTIN 1876 - 1886. Ancil Evalon Martin was born July 27, 1832 in Newport, New York. He became a builder and moved to Chicago in 1854 where he built the first bridge abutments on the Chicago River. In 1858 he moved to Delhi, Iowa and was elected Sheriff of Delaware County from 1860 to 1866. He was Assistant Assessor for the Internal Revenue Service until his appointment as Warden of the Anamosa Penitentiary in 1876. In 1886 he moved his family to Yuma County, Arizona where he built the 16-mile Toltec Irrigation Canal north of the Gila River. He served on the board for the Territorial State Prison in Yuma in 1891. He farmed near the Gila River until his retirement in 1892. He lived in southwest Los Angeles, California until his death January 3, 1902.
MARQUIS BARR 1886 - 1892; 1906 - 1911. Marquis Barr was born August 14, 1844 in White County, Indiana. At the age of 10 he moved with his family to Oskaloosa, Iowa and lived there most of his life. He served with the Army in the 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company 1. He was elected Sheriff of Mahaska County in 1877. He served as Warden of the Anamosa Penitentiary from 1886 to 1892. He then worked for the Minneapolis / St. Paul Railway as a claims agent until 1906 when he returned as Warden at Anamosa until 1911. He then returned to the Minneapolis / St. Paul Railway until his retirement and subsequent death September 29, 1923.
PHILANDER MADDEN 1892 - 1898. Philander Madden was born February 4, 1845 in Newcastle, Pennsylvania. He grew up on a farm near Des Moines, Iowa. He enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 17 and received his honorable discharge in 1865. He farmed near Spencer, Iowa until his election as Sheriff of Clay County in 1881. He was appointed Warden of the Anamosa Penitentiary from 1892 till 1898. He returned to farming near Olden, Missouri until 1908 when he became city jailor in Des Moines and was employed on the Capitol Police Force. In 1911 he moved his family to Golden, British Columbia where he engaged in farming until his death October 7, 1913.
WILLIAM HUNTER 1898 - 1906. William Adams Hunter was born July 8, 1845 in Carrolton, Ohio. He came to Newton, Iowa in 1857. At the age of 16, he enlisted in the 47th Iowa Infantry as a drummer boy and after the battle of Shiloh, he served in the infantry as a regular soldier. He returned to Newton and attended Grinnell College. He then moved to Belle Plaine, Iowa where he opened a drug business, installed an electrical light system for the town and was Postmaster for two terms. In 1898 he was elected Warden of the Anamosa Penitentiary, serving in that capacity until his death September 30, 1906.
CHARLES McCLAUGHRY 1912 - 1918. Charles Chase McClaughry was born April 7, 1863 in Carthage, Illinois. He received his education in the St. Louis and Monmouth schools. He graduated from Knox College at Galesburg in 1885. From 1885 until 1912, he held the following positions: Chief Engineer at the Joliet Penitentiary, Assistant Superintendent at the Allegheny County Workhouse at Hoboken, Pennsylvania; Deputy Superintendent of the Chicago House of Correction, Deputy Warden of the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City; Warden of the Wisconsin State Prison at Waupon; Manager of the Skully Steel Works in Illinois; Deputy Warden of the U.S. Penitentiary at Atlanta, Georgia and the Superintendent of the Missouri Training School for Boys at Boonville. He became Warden of the Men's Reformatory in Anamosa in 1912 and resigned in 1918 to become Warden of the Connecticut State Prison at Wethersfield. In may 1920 he returned with his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and became Construction Engineer with Penford Products. In March 1925 he accepted the position of Wardne at the District of Columbia Workhouse and served in that capacity until his death October 14, 1926.
JOHN BAUMEL 1918 - 1932. John Nicholas Baumel was born April 23, 1876 in Chicago, Illinois. When he was six months old, his family moved to Millston, Wisconsin. In 1901 he moved to Waupon, Wisconsin where he served as Deputy Warden of the Wisconsin State Prison for six years. He then moved to Palm Beach, Florida for one year before accepting the position of Deputy Warden at Anamosa in 1912. He was appointed Warden of the Men's Reformatory in 1918 and retired in 1932. He moved to an acreage north of Anamosa until 1942, when he moved back to Anamosa until the time of his death November 2, 1951.
CHARLES IRELAND 1932 - 1933. Charles Harrison Ireland was born November 12, 1879 on a farm near Anamosa, Iowa. He received his education in the Clinton schools. He served with the Army from 1901 to 1904 during the Phillipine insurrection. He returned to Anamosa and was employed at the Men's Reformatory until 1909. He resigned to operate a restaurant in Anamosa until he was appointed Warden of the Reformatory in 1932. He remained in that capacity until his death June 27, 1933. Mr. Ireland was a member of the Anamosa City Council, served on the Fair Association and and was Chairman of the Republican County Central Committee.
WILLIAM FRAZER 1933 - 1939. William Henry Frazer was born April 11, 1887 at Amber, Iowa. He received his education in the Anamosa schools and attended the University of Iowa from 1907 to 1909. He served in the United States Army from 1901 to 1911. He was elected Sheriff of Jones County from 1931 to 1933 and was appointed Warden of the Men's Reformatory from 1933 till 1939. He was a candidate for Iowa State Representative from Jones County in 1940. Mr. Frazer was a Rotary member and past commander of the VFW. He was a life-long memeber of the Iowa State Sheriffs' Association. He served as a private investigator for a Chicago firm and owned and operated a motel in Clinton, Oklahoma until the time of his death September 14, 1955.
FOSS DAVIS 1939 - 1953. Foss Davis was born December 20, 1895 at North Branch, Iowa. He received his education in the Macedonia schools. He achieved the rank of Sergeant in World War I and was recipient of the Purple Heart. He was a barber until 1927. He was appointed Sheriff of Greene County from 1931 till 1939 when he was appointed Warden of the Men's Reformatory and served in that capacity until his death June 17, 1953. Mr. Davis was a commanding officer of the Iowa National Guard in Jefferson, Iowa, member of the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police, a life member of the Iowa State Sheriffs' Association, and served on the Board of Directors of the American Prison Association.
RAY PURCELL 1953 - 1964 . Ray Martin Purcell was born March 30, 1900 at Olin, Iowa. He received his education in the Olin and Cass Center schools. He served in the Army during World War I. He served as Deputy Sheriff for Jones County in 1921. In 1931 he began employment at the Men's Reformatory and was appointed Warden from 1953 until 1964. He was a Past Commander of the American Legion in Anamosa. He died October 9, 1992.
CHARLES HAUGH 1964 - 1973. Charles Henry Haugh was born July 14, 1907 in Burlington, Iowa. He received his education in the Burlington schools. From 1937 to 1964 he worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was Associate Warden at the Federal Prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas until he accepted the position of Warden at the Men's Reformatory, retiring in 1973. He was a member of the Anamosa Rotary. He died November 21, 1988.
CALVIN AUGER 1973 - 1987. Calvin Dean Auger was born December 3, 1929 in Ripley, Michigan. He received his education in the L'Anse school system and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1958. He came to Iowa in 1962 as a Correctional Counselor at the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison. In March 1965, he became Assistant Director of Institutions in Des Moines. He was appointed Superintendent of the Medical and Security Facility at Oakdale in 1969 and in February 1972 was appointed Superintendent of the Medium Security Facility at Mount Pleasant. He became the Warden at the Men's Reformatory in 1973 and served in that capacity until his death November 11, 1987.
JOHN THALACKER 1988 - 1995. John Arnold Thalacker was born October 25, 1942 in Monticello, Iowa. He received his education in the East Des Moines schools and graduated from Wartburg College in 1965. A Masters Degree in Social Work was received from Tulane University in 1967. He served in Vietnam while an Army Captain in 1968. In 1972 he joined the Central Office in Des Moines as the First Director of Training for the Department of Corrections. After serving as Chief Assistant to the Director and Bureau Chief of Institutions, he was appointed Superintendent of the Medium Security Unit at Mount Pleasant in 1978. During the next ten years he was also at various times Superintendent of the Mental Health Institute and Corrections Training Academy as well as Deputy Superintendent of the Mount Pleasant Treatment Center. In 1988 he became Warden at the Men's Reformatory. In 1995 he was transferred to be Warden at the prison in Rockwell City, and in 1998 assumed command of the newly-constructed Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. Mr. Thalacker was a very active member in both state and national corrections organizations and in the Anamosa community.
JOHN AULT 1995 - 2005. John Franklin Ault II was born October 10, 1948 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He received his education in the Fort Dodge schools. He received his Bachelors' Degree in Corrections from Mankato State University in Minnesota in 1971. He began employment as a correctional officer in 1973 at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. During his eight years at Deer Lodge, he held the positions of Social Worker, Director of Social Services, Associate Warden of Security and Associate Warden of Treatment. In 1981 he accepted the position of Deputy Warden of Treatment at the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe. He also held the positions of Deputy Warden of Security and Deputy Warden of Special Management Inmates. In 1985 he returned to Mankato State University and received his Masters Degree in Corrections in 1986. He was Warden of the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City, Iowa from 1986 to 1995 and became Warden of the Men's Reformatory in September 1995.  During his tenure the institution was renamed the Anamosa State Penitentiary.  Warden Ault became warden of the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison November 22, 2005.
  JERRY BURT 2006 - 2009      
Jerry Burt was born June 10, 1952 in Fort Riley, Kansas. His father’s military career placed the family in varied locations until his retirement in 1964 when the family settled in Polk City, Iowa. He graduated from North Polk High School in 1970 and received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1974. Following graduation, Warden Burt accepted the position of social studies teacher and coach at St. Patrick’s School in Cedar Falls. In July 1975 Warden Burt began his career with the Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer. He later served at the Iowa State Penitentiary as Counselor and Training Officer before accepting the position of Training Officer at the newly opened Iowa Corrections Training Center in Mt. Pleasant in 1982. In 1983, he was promoted to Treatment Director at the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City where he served until October 1997. At that time, he accepted the position of Deputy Warden at the soon to be opened Fort Dodge Correctional Facility serving in that capacity until appointed Warden in January 2002. In February 2006, Warden Burt was appointed Warden of the Anamosa State Penitentiary, a position he held until his promotion to Deputy Director of the Eastern Region
  JOHN FAYRAM 2009 -      
John Fayram was born November 10, 1959 in Anamosa, Iowa. He was raised in the Anamosa community and graduated from the Anamosa school system in 1978. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of Iowa in 1982. In 1979 while attending college, he began employment as a Correctional Officer at the Iowa State Men's Reformatory (now the Anamosa State Penitentiary). Upon graduation in 1982, he became an Activities Consultant in the Recreation Department and in 1983, a Correctional Counselor. In 1990, he began working for DOC Central Office when he accepted the position of Training Officer II, working out of the Community Placement Office at the Iowa Medical Classification Center. In this position, he coordinated training statewide for judicial district employees working in community based corrections. In 1996, he became an Executive Officer II, adding project management responsibilities to his training role with the Department. Following Departmental reorganization in 1998, he was assigned to the DOC Eastern Region Office on the 6th Judicial District complex as an Assistant Deputy Director. In 2000, he returned to the Anamosa State Penitentiary as the Associate Warden of Administration and later became the Deputy Warden in 2002. On March 6th, 2009 he was appointed Warden of the Anamosa State Penitentiary.