Augustus E. Willson
Augustus Willson | |
---|---|
Chair of the National Governors Association | |
In office May 13, 1908 – September 12, 1911 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Francis E. McGovern |
36th Governor of Kentucky | |
In office December 10, 1907 – December 12, 1911 | |
Lieutenant | William Hopkinson Cox |
Preceded by | J. C. W. Beckham |
Succeeded by | James B. McCreary |
Personal details | |
Born | Maysville, Kentucky, U.S. | October 13, 1846
Died | August 24, 1931 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | (aged 84)
Resting place | Cave Hill Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Mary Ekin (m. 1877) |
Relations | Forceythe Willson (brother) |
Children | 1 |
Education | Harvard University (BA, MA) |
Signature | |
Augustus Everett Willson (October 13, 1846 – August 24, 1931) was an American politician and the
A Republican in a primarily
Early life
Augustus Willson was born on October 13, 1846, in Maysville, Kentucky, the second child of Hiram and Ann Colvin (née Ennis) Willson. A year following his birth, his father moved the family to Covington. In 1852, the family moved again, this time to New Albany, Indiana. In 1856, Willson's mother died. Three years later, his father also died, leaving him an orphan at age twelve. He and his younger sister went to live with their grandmother in Allegany County, New York. Willson then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to live with his brother Forceythe Willson, who had become a poet of some renown. There, he was exposed to men of letters such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell.[1][2]
Willson took a preparatory course of study at Alfred Academy in New York.[2] Later, he enrolled for one year at a preparatory school in Cambridge before matriculating to Harvard University in 1865.[3] His brother Forceythe became terminally ill during Augustus' sophomore year, and the younger man took a brief hiatus from his studies to care for him.[4] Following Forceythe's death, Willson resumed his studies, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1869.[2]
After graduation, Willson studied at Harvard Law School, receiving a Master of Arts degree in 1872.[3] He also studied in the law firm of Lothrop, Bishop, and Lincoln in Boston.[2] He returned to New Albany in 1870, where he lived with Indiana congressman Michael C. Kerr and was admitted to the bar.[2] In 1874, Kerr wrote a letter of introduction for Willson when he applied for a position in the Louisville law firm of John Marshall Harlan.[2] Harlan described Willson as "one of the brightest young fellows I ever met."[2] The two became lifelong friends, and Willson's association with Harlan deepened his support of the Republican Party.[2] Willson became a junior partner in Harlan's firm, continuing there until Harlan's appointment as a Supreme Court justice in 1877.[2]
Political career
Willson's political career began when was he appointed chief clerk of the U.S. Treasury Department under Benjamin Bristow.[1] He served in this capacity from December 1875 to August 1876, resigning to continue his law practice in Louisville.[1][3] On July 23, 1877, Willson married Mary Elizabeth Ekin in Louisville;[a] their only child died as an infant.[1]
A Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, Willson suffered several defeats as he ran for public office.
In 1903, Willson sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination. He had the backing of
Governor of Kentucky
In 1907, Willson was chosen by acclamation as the Republican candidate for governor.[8] Willson's opponent had been chosen at a nominating convention two years earlier.[9] Governor Beckham had convinced the Democrats to hold their primary early so he could secure the party's nomination for the 1908 senatorial election while he was still serving as governor.[9] He wanted to influence the selection of his would-be successor.[9] Using his clout as governor, Beckham ensured the selection of Samuel Wilber Hager as the party's gubernatorial nominee.[9]
The chief campaign issue was the ongoing Black Patch Tobacco Wars in western Kentucky. Hager carried the stigma of being the hand-picked candidate of Governor Beckham, who had largely ignored the violence during his administration.[10] On the other hand, Willson had twice represented the American Tobacco Company as their attorney. Western farmers had resisted their monopoly of tobacco prices and were trying to express their own power through the PPA; but they had begun to use violence against farmers who would not join the association.[11] Democrats made much of this issue, and Willson did little to counter accusations that he was unsympathetic to the plight of the farmers.[12] Hager tried to appeal to both sides of the conflict, but ultimately lost the support of both.[12] Willson's position appealed to urban voters who wanted the state's reputation for violence to end even if it meant siding with the tobacco industry against the state's farmers.[12]
In the general election, Willson garnered 214,481 votes to 196,428 for Hager.[13] (Scattered votes were also cast for minor party candidates.)[6] Strong support from urban areas swung the election for Willson.[13] Half of Willson's 18,000-vote majority came from the city of Louisville.[13] Republicans also won the mayoral races in Louisville and Paducah.[13] A disagreement between Hager and an associate of Governor Beckham caused Beckham's support for his candidate to wane.[13] Voters who favored prohibition – strong supporters of Beckham for his pro-temperance stand – also deserted Hager, who vacillated on the issue.[13]
Willson was sworn in on December 10, 1907.
Willson's interventions ultimately had little to do with the end of the violence. He may have been more effective in ending violence associated with the Reelfoot Lake uprising in 1908, also located in western Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1908, juries convicted six men of murder in the related kidnapping and murder of Captain Quentin Rankin in Lake County, Tennessee. Many of the Night Rider leaders escaped being convicted and some were never prosecuted, but such court actions dampened the violence.[15]
A 1909 measure sponsored by Kentucky representative
Willson further alienated the legislature by issuing pardons for several individuals convicted of complicity in the assassination of Governor William Goebel (1900).
The 1908 session of the General Assembly was dubbed the "Education Legislature".[18] Its most significant accomplishment was passing legislation establishing high schools in every county of the state.[14] It further increased funding for the newly renamed State University (later the University of Kentucky) and strengthened school attendance requirements.[18] Other progressive reforms were also passed, including a stronger child labor law and a law establishing a juvenile court system.[14] Off-track betting was made illegal, and abortion was defined as a crime.[18]
In his biennial message to the legislature in 1910, Willson called for a uniform system of accounting based on legislation recently passed in the neighboring state of Indiana.[16] He also advocated a measure requiring full disclosure of campaign expenditures.[19] Due to its hostility toward Willson, the Assembly scarcely considered the governor's agenda or other needed legislation such as tax reform and redistricting.[20] The reforms Willson advocated would later pass under a Democratic administration.[19] The few accomplishments of this legislature included making electrocution the legal form of capital punishment and establishing of an eight-hour work day for public workers.[21]
Outside the state, Willson enjoyed somewhat higher esteem. In 1908, Harvard University presented him with an
Later life
In the gubernatorial election of 1911, Republicans were divided as to whether they should celebrate Willson's administration or downplay it. His actions to quell the violence in the Black Patch Wars and his pardons to Taylor and Powers were both unpopular with many voters. The eventual candidate, Edward C. O'Rear, was lukewarm at best to Willson's administration. Willson was upset by this hesitancy and lent O'Rear only modest support on the campaign trail. Former governor Bradley also disagreed with O'Rear's selection and engaged in minimal campaigning. The failure of the party to unite behind their candidate gave Democrat James B. McCreary an easy victory.[23]
Following his term as governor, Willson returned to his legal practice in Louisville. From 1910 to 1919, he served on the Harvard University Board of Overseers.
Notes
^[a] Appleton and the National Governors Association list the name as "Ekin." Powell suggests "Elkin," while Harrison lists "Ekins." The correct spelling is Ekin; she was the daughter of General James A. Ekin.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Powell, p. 80
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Appleton, p. 141
- ^ a b c d Johnson, p. 636
- ^ American National Biography
- ^ a b c d NGA Bio
- ^ a b c d Harrison in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, p. 959
- ^ Klotter, p. 206
- ^ a b Johnson, p. 634
- ^ a b c d Klotter, p. 210
- ^ Harrison in A New History of Kentucky, p. 280
- ^ Klotter, p. 63
- ^ a b c Burckel, p. 295
- ^ a b c d e f Klotter, p. 212
- ^ a b c d e f Harrison in A New History of Kentucky, p. 281
- ^ a b c d Klotter, p. 64
- ^ a b Burckel, p. 296
- ^ a b Klotter, p. 214
- ^ a b c Klotter, p. 215
- ^ a b Burckel, p. 297
- ^ Appleton, p. 144
- ^ Klotter, p. 217
- ^ a b c d e Teaford, p. 89
- ^ Klotter, pp. 217–218
- ^ a b c d e f Klotter, p. 225
Bibliography
- "American National Biography Online: Willson, Augustus Everett". Oxford University Press. 2000. Archived from the original (TXT) on February 11, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
- Appleton, Thomas H. Jr. (2004). "Augustus Everett Willson". In Lowell Hayes Harrison (ed.). Kentucky's Governors. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2326-7.
- Burckel, Nicholas C. (October 1978). "From Beckham to McCreary: The Progressive Record of Kentucky Governors". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 76.
- ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- ISBN 0-8131-2008-X. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
- Johnson, E. Polk (1912). A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians: The Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities. Lewis Publishing Company. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
- "Kentucky Governor Augustus Everett Willson". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ISBN 0-916968-24-3. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
- Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. Danville, Kentucky: Bluegrass Printing Company. OCLC 2690774.
- Teaford, Jon C. (2002). The Rise of the States: Evolution of American State Government. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-6888-7.
Further reading
- Biography from Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky
- Finch, Glenn (January 1970). "The Election of United States Senators in Kentucky: The Beckham Period". Filson Club History Quarterly. 44.
- Legislative history and capitol souvenir of Kentucky : portraits and sketches of Senators, Representatives, and officials and attaches of the various state departments. W.E. Bidwell, E.H. Ellwanger. 1910. pp. 25–26. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved November 28, 2008.