Meet the Mayors: John F. Ficken

Kendall John
4 minutes ago
5 min read

Welcome to our new series, Meet the Mayors! In these posts, we will be introducing readers to the historical mayors of the City of Charleston using our collections. You can see our finding aids for our Mayoral Collection here for a sneak peek at what's to come!

John F. Ficken, from Hemphill, J.C. Men of Mark in South Carolina, 1908. — John F. Ficken, from Hemphill, J.C. *Men of Mark in South Carolina*, 1908.

For our series' inaugural post, we will be starting with Charleston's 48th Mayor, John F. Ficken, who served from December 1891 to December 1895. Col. John Frederick Ficken, Jr. (1843-1925) was born in Charleston to Prussian parents John F. Ficken, Sr. and Rebecca Beversen. He had a sister named Kate who remained in the city her entire life. A student at the College of Charleston when the Civil War broke out, John Ficken temporarily left school to fight as part of the German Artillery. He later completed his degree in 1864 and rejoined the Confederate Army.

Charleston Courier (Charleston, S.C.). Advertisement. January 7, 1867. — *Charleston Courier* (Charleston, S.C.). Advertisement. January 7, 1867.

In his personal life, Ficken was married twice, although the dates of his marriages are unknown. His first wife was Margaret B. Horlbeck, with whom he had a son, Henry Horlbeck Ficken (1872-1949). Henry would also become a lawyer and join his father in his practice in 1894. His second wife was Emma Julia Blum.

After establishing himself as a lawyer in Charleston, Ficken began serving on different commissions of the City Council. He further engaged in local politics as a representative for St. Philip's and St. Michael's parishes in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1876 until he was elected mayor of the City of Charleston in December 1891.

Ficken’s term as mayor was shaped by destabilizing events including a natural disaster, the introduction of Jim Crow laws, and South Carolina’s adoption of the Dispensary System. In late August 1893, the city woke up to a cyclone ripping through the coast. The newly established U.S. Weather Bureau had tracked the incoming storm, but nobody yet knew that the Sea Islands Hurricane would be one of the most powerful storms to hit the region with devastating effects, including loss of life and economic downturn. In the wake of the hurricane, economic opportunities were lost, and Jim Crow laws were passed across the South, reversing some of the Reconstruction-era measures and setting a new stage for segregation. South Carolina’s 1895 Constitution advanced these efforts and further disenfranchised African Americans.

Another change that shaped South Carolina's history from this time was the Dispensary Act. This act was passed in December of 1893 by Senator Ben Tillman and began years of illegal trading, bribery, and political tensions throughout the state as the United States headed into national Prohibition in 1920. In December 1893, the City Council of Charleston passed an ordinance to uphold the state law at the local level.

After his term as mayor, Ficken returned to his life as a lawyer and civic member.

He became President of the South Carolina Loan & Trust Co. in 1902.

He also served as President of the Board of Trustees for 21 years at his alma mater, the College of Charleston. John F. Ficken passed in 1925.

Ficken Family Residences in Charleston

The Ficken Family owned much property throughout Charleston County and the City of Charleston. The family also owned property on James Island that would become Riverland Terrace as well as land on Rutledge Street, including a lot at the intersection of Simons Street (shown below).

Barbot, D.C. 1897. “Plat of Property Belonging to Hon. Jno. F. Ficken Situated on Rutledge and Simons St. Charleston, S.C.” Plat. Charleston, S.C.

The most notable of their residences is 94 Rutledge Avenue. The house was built in 1853 by Isaac Jenkins Mikell, a wealthy cotton planter and enslaver with a large plantation on Edisto Island. After Ficken's sister, Kate, passed in 1930, the family debated what was to be done with the mansion. The home next opened its doors to the Charleston community in a surprising way.

In 1934, the Charleston Free Library system purchased the property and used it as its main branch until 1960. At this time, the library system was segregated, usually with separate buildings, collections, and bookmobiles for patrons of color. The 94 Rutledge location, as the main branch, was open to all citizens but had separate hours and collections for Black residents. In November 1960, the King Street branch opened, becoming the new main branch with integrated services. For more on the history of the Charleston County Library system, see this post from the Charleston Time Machine by Dr. Nic Butler. Shown below are images depicting the use of the property as the library from the Charleston County Public Library's Lowcountry Digital Library Image Collection page.

Sources

Acting Secretary, Treasury Department. (1891, December 28). [Correspondence to John F. Ficken].

At the Mercy of the Storm: A Repetition of the Disaster of 1885. (1893, August 28). Charleston News & Courier, 1.

Barbot, D. C. (1897). Plat of Property belonging to Hon. Jno. F. Ficken Situated on Rutledge and Simons St. Charleston, S.C. [Plat].

Bookmobile in front of Main Library (1). (1948). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63192

Bookmobile parked in garage at Main Library. (1953). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63232

Butler, N. (2024, February 16). Segregation and Desegregation at the Charleston County Public Library, 1930–1965. Charleston Time Machine. https://www.ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/segregation-and-desegregation-charleston-county-public-library

Charleston Year Book, 1893 (with Charleston (S.C.). City Council). (1893).

Children’s Room, Main Library (3). (1940). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63223

Circulation desk and front room, Main Library. (1935). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63206

Front room, Main Library. (1951). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63195

Grego, C. (with Project Muse). (2022). Hurricane Jim Crow: How the Great Sea Island Storm of 1893 shaped the Lowcountry South. The University of North Carolina Press.

Hemphill, J. C. (1908). John Frederick Ficken (Vol. 2). Men of Mark Publishing Co.

Janitor’s closet, Main Library. (1950). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63257

Jno. Fredk. Ficken. (1867, January 7). Charleston Courier, 1.

JOHN FREDERICK FICKEN. (n.d.). Preservation Society of Charleston. Retrieved November 1, 2025, from http://www.halseymap.com/flash/mayors-detail.asp?polID=46

Quinlan, R. J. (1950). Librarians entering Main Library [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63299

Reading room, Main Library. (1935). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63207

Reference and bound periodicals stacks, Main Library (2). (1950). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63256

Reports of Committees. (1893, December 28). News & Courier, 3. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ccpl.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=favorite%3ACharlestonHistorical%21Charleston%20Current%20and%20Historical&sort=YMD_date%3AD&hide_duplicates=2&maxresults=60&f=advanced&val-base-0=&fld-base-0=alltext&bln-base-1=and&val-base-1=12/28/1893&fld-base-1=YMD_date&docref=image/v2%3A13CCA871AD118D5A%40EANX-142E38F0990C975B%402412826-142E36C02A8A96F4%402-142E36C02A8A96F4%40

Schwartz, L. (1953). Mending room, Main Library [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63306

Stairwell of Main Library. (1935). [Photograph]. The Charleston Archive at CCPL. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:63208

Tillman, B. R. (1894). The South Carolina Liquor Law. The North American Review, 158(447), 140–149. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25103272

U.S. Weather Bureau. (1893). Surface weather analysis of Hurricane Six on August 28, 1893 [Graphic].

Weather conditions of two cyclones of August, 1893: Synoptic weather chart, Aug. 26, 1893 ... (1893). [Atlas Map]. https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~346800~90114226:Weather-conditions-of-two-cyclones-?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no&mi=0&trs=3&qvq=q:1893%20%3A%20Synoptic%20weather%20chart;sort:pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1