Richard Ellis, Member of Co. D, 28th Infantry Division, United States First Division. Was the first Janesville man to be killed in WWI at Cantigney, France. on May 15, 1918.

Malcom McDermot and Robert J. Cunningham, WWI. shared Post Cmdr. 1919-20; Cunningham - State Vice Cmdr. 1919-20, 1920-21, Janesville City Attorney. Dr. L.J. Woodworth, P.C. 1920-21. Ralph J. Kamps, P.C. 1921-22. Dr. W.T. Clark, P.C. 1922-23. Physician John Gross, Sr., WWI, P.C. 1923-24; 1st District Cmdr. 1930-31. Rock County Cmdr. 1930-31 Rock County Court Commissioner Leo J. Ford, P.C. 1924-25, Postmaster. Dr. I. A. Clark, P.C. 1925-26, Dentist. Walter Kruger and Roy Eller, P.C. 1926-27. Alexander Ely, P.C. 1927-28. Edgar A. Jersild, WWI, P.C. 1928-29; Rock County Cmdr. 1939-40; 1st District Cmdr. 1946-48, State Vice Cmdr. 1948-49. Burr A. Strang, P,C. 1929-30. James M. Campbell, P.C. 1930-31. Henry A. Swanson, P.C. 1931-32-33, Grocery Entrepreneur. Arthur C. Olmstead, P.C.1932-33, Building Contractor. Frank Murphy and Vernon K. Klontz, P.C. 1933-34. Oscar Hammarlund, P.C 1934-35, Postal Inspector. Ed Quarna, P.C. 1935-36, County Supervisor. Willard Schmitt, P.C. 1936-37, Rock County Highway Commissioner. Edwin Pond, P.C. 1937-38. E. H. Swegman, P.C. 1938-39, Accountant. E. S. Phillips, P.C. 1939-40, Insurance Entrepreneur. Thomas J. Reid, P.C. 1940-41. Earl A. Taylor, P.C. 1941-42, Postal Inspector. E. J. Leary, P.C. 1942-43. S. R. Heck, P.C. 1943-44, Realtor. Walter P. Bidwell, P.C. 1944-45. County Cmdr. 1953-54. Val Weber, P.C. 1945-46, Haberdasher. Floyd Mabie, P.C. 1946-47. Harry Evert,P.C. 1946-47-48,Tire Entrepreneur. Marvin W. Roth, Army, First WWII Post Cmdr. 1948-49; Rock County Cmdr. 1950-51; 1st District Cmdr. 1956-57; State Vice Cmdr. 1958-59; State Cmdr. 1960-61; 1960 Honorary Life Membership; Alternate NECman 1962-63; National Vice Cmdr. 1967-68. Member of National Foreign Relations Commission 1980-83. Executive Secretary Janesville Chamber of Commerce. Member of Janesville City Council. Lower Court House Park is the site of a music pavilion which was dedicated in his name in 2014.. Howard Moss, P.C. 1949-50, Attorney. Harold L. Hill, P,C. 1950-51. Joseph O. Carpenter, P.C. 1951-52, Rock County Sheriff. Raymond Alfred & James R. Peterson, P.C. 1952-53. Pat Dawson, P.C. 1953-54, Janesville Recreation Dir. James Wolff, P.C. 1954-55, Heating Entrepreneur. Theodore P. Bidwell, WWII & Korea, P.C. 1955-56, Janesville City Attorney. Robert C. Throndsen, Post Cmdr. 1956-57, Rock County Commander, Accountant. Kaare M. Korsmo, P.C. 1957-58, 1st Dist. Sgt. at Arms, Construction Entrepreneur. Albert L. "Al" Funk, Air Force, First Korean Era P.C. 1958-59, 1965-66, 1974-75, 1988-89, 1993-94; Rock County Cmdr. 1980-81; 1st District Cmd. 1984-86, 1st District Chaplain 1990-96, 1998-2006, State Vice Cmdr. 1986-87, State Chaplain 1994-95. President of Wisconsin Past Commander's Club 1989; Chairman of Badger Legionnaire/Public Relations Board 1987-92; Chairman Department Religious Emphasis Committee 2002-04; President of WALPA Wisconsin American Legion Press Assoc. 1989-93; 2004 Honorary Life Membership. John J. Dooley, WWII, Navy, P.C. 1959-60 and (17) more terms thru 2008, 1st District Cmdr. 1966-67, State Vice Cmdr. 1978-79. 2004 Honorary Life Membership. William A. Melichar, P.C. 1960-61. E. A. Schwichtenberg, P.C. 1961-62, Insurance Entrepreneur. Donald R. Veseley, P.C. 1961-62, Janesville Police Detective. Leslie R. Stiff, P.C. 1963-64, Newspaper Circulation Director. Paul R. Swanson, P.C. 1964-65. Floyd S. Larson, P.C. 1965-667, USS Nevada Pearl Harbor Survivor. Leonard F. Jacoboski, P.C. 1966-67, High School Teacher. Donald T. Swanson, P.C. 1967-68, County Cmdr. 1970-72. John F. Mooney, P.C. 1969-70, Postmaster. Richard C. Murphy, P.C. 1970-71 Attorney. Joe K. Bruce, P.C. 1971-72. William M. Hill, P/C. 1772-73,1975-76,1977-78,1982-83,1983-84, County Cmdr. 1987-88. Robert B. Bradley, P.C. 1973-74, County Cmdr. 1983-84. Lyle J. Buchanon, P.C. 1976-77. Christian Patt, P.C. 1978-79. Albert R. Mezera, P.C. 1978-79-80. Zane R. Izom, P.C. 1980-81. James F. Zillmer, P.C. 1981-82. Herbert D. Huguinin, P.C. 1984-85. Walter A. Jung, 1st Viet Nam Post Cmdr. 1985-86. James D. Keith, P.C. 1996-97-98. Honorary Life Membership. Lyle Kirkeeng, P.C. 1998-99-10-11. Honorary Life Membership. Monte D. Krebs, Post Adjt. 1985-2011. Honorary P.C. 2011. Robert J. Abb, P.C. 2011-12-13. William "Bill" Babb, Viet Nam, Navy, Post Adjutant, 1st District 1st Vice Cmdr., Graduate of American Legion College. Bradley Little, Persian Gulf, Air Force, Post Cmdr. 2013-14, 2014-15. Cmdr. Rock County Council 2013-14, 2014-15. Graduate of American Legion College. Susan E. Knudson, 1st woman Post Cmdr. 2015-. Rock County Cmdr. 2015-, 1st Dist. Badger Boy's State chairperson 2015-, Department of Wisconsin Americanism Chairperson 2015- James H. Hagerty, WW11, Post Chaplain 1972-87. 1st Dist. Chaplain 1076-84. State Chaplain 1973-74,1974-75, 1975-76. Methodist Minister.

The Post #205 was chartered with (89) members and was the fourth and largest post in Rock County. Janesville is the County Seat and largest city in the county. Richard Ellis Post drew the interests of many professional and business people. They recognized early-on that a strong membership was vital to the success of their post. From a charter strength of (89)in 1920, the post had grown to 223 members by 1926 and 348 for 1932. However, the number slid to 182 for 1929. An all-time high membership of 634 was reached in 1949. Post #205 was the largest post in the 1st District for many years. From it's founding days, Post #205 held meetings in the large Patriotic Hall on the fourth loor of the Janesville City Hall. However at different times, including 1933, other meeting rooms were rented. Finally, in 1965, an antebellum home and 8-lots on Sutherland Avenue, were purchased from member Alfred Griswold for $15,000 and was extensively remodeled by members under the direction of Marvin Roth. (See pictures) It had been the home of James Sutherland, an early Janesville Mayor, Superintendent of Schools and and Rock County Superintendent of Schools. Over the next 40 years it was the Post Home. It was eventually sold in 2006. The post has enjoyed the support and friendship of Auxiliary Unit N0. 205 since it was chartered May 23, 1921. For many years, our pot-luck birthday dinners were prepared by the ladies. Like wise, members and families enjoyed the many fine picnic baskets which the ladies prepared for post picnics in Riverside Park. An annual event into the early eighties was the Unit's Children's Christmas Party complete with a visit from Santa Clause and the distribution of treats and books and toys. On August 20-23, 1933, Janesville hosted it's one and only Wisconsin State Convention. In later times, Post #205 hosted the 1984 State American Legion Golf Tournament at Riverside Golf Course; State Mid-Winter Conferences January 23-24, 1960 and January 20-22, 1967; District Spring Conferences were hosted in May 1956, May 1970, and the District Fall Conference on October 7, 2012. First District POW-MIA Silent Marches were hosted by the Janesville Post on September 17, 1994 and September 21, 2013. And, post representatives have participated in a majority of these events since their inception at Mukwanago, WI in 1985. The American Legion Athletic Medal is the post's oldest continuous Post #205 program dating to 1922 when a single medal was presented. Today, the coveted medals are presented to a boy and a girl at both Craig and Parker High Schools. American Legion Baseball dates to the 1930s in Janesville. And, in received new emphasis with the formation of the State-Line League in the late 1940's. That led to State Championships in 1968, 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1976. In 1999, with a record of 21-11, the team received the award for Best Sportsmanship at the Stae Tournament. Highlighting Post #205 baseball were trips to the play in the Legon's World Series at Murray, KY in ____. In 2007, using some proceeds from the clubhouse sale, $5,000.00 was presented to the team for new uniforms and projects at their concession stand. Additionally,an American Legion Baseball Trust fund of $22,000.00 was established with the Community Foundation of Southern Wisc. Annual distributions are made to the team. From the early post-war years through 1964, baseball funding was derived from Post sponsorship of a week-long Legion carnival. The advent of television resulted in the demise of the annual event. The Post had a good relationship with local circus fan Charlie Sherwood. That led to occasional income from connections with visiting circuses. The last such venture was a bummer. A flea-bag circus was "on the run" from Illinois and so the Post came to their rescue. Arriving in the middle of the night, the outfit rested for a day, showed the second day and left in the night just as it had arrived. The Post earned a small "purse", but there was more. The landowner informed the Post of a "large deposit" that needed attention. It seems that while "on the run", the elephant van was allowed to fill-up with dung. But before they exited Janesville, a huge pile was left on the circus grounds. Post members found a farmer willing to accept the dung and then commenced to hand load and unload dozens of pick-up truck loadse. That was the last Legion sponsored circus. Wisconsin's American Legion Badger Boys States was founded in 1939 and soon thereafter became a post project . Eight Janesville boys were delegates to the 2014 Session at Ripon College. John Dooley guided our program from 1961 thru 2012. He turned the reins over to Vice Commander Susan Knudson, who continues as the chairperson. In earlier years, post members invited the BBS delegates to a dinner prior to the session. Members also used their own cars to transport the the boys to the sessions. The post now provides bus transportation. In the 1930s, a Sons of the American Legion Squadron was sponsored by Post #205. A formidable Drum and Bugle Corps represented Janesville until the ranks were depleted by WWII military service. In 1957 the charter was reopened and an S,A.L. Unit was operational for a few years. One of the highlights from that era was a fishing derby at Traxler Park Lagoon.