James B. A. Robertson
James Brooks Ayers Robertson | |
---|---|
4th Governor of Oklahoma | |
In office January 13, 1919 – January 8, 1923 | |
Lieutenant | Martin E. Trapp |
Preceded by | Robert L. Williams |
Succeeded by | John C. Walton |
Personal details | |
Born | Keokuk County, Iowa, U.S. | March 15, 1871
Died | March 7, 1938 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | (aged 66)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Olive Stubblefield Robertson
(m. 1898; died 1914) |
Children | 2 |
Profession | Teacher, lawyer, judge, politician |
Signature | |
James Brooks Ayres Robertson (March 15, 1871 – March 7, 1938), sometimes called J. B. A. Robertson, was an American lawyer, judge and the fourth governor of Oklahoma. Robertson was appointed by the state's first governor, Charles N. Haskell, to serve as a district judge.
Passing a
Robertson died in 1938 from cancer and is buried in Chandler, Oklahoma.
Early life
James Brooks Ayres Robertson the Third was born in Keokuk County, Iowa, on March 15, 1871, to a father of the same name from Pennsylvania and mother Clara Robertson (birth name unknown) from Ohio. His paternal grandfather had the same name. In the early 1850s, both of Robertson's parents moved to Iowa, where Robertson's father served as a volunteer soldier in the Union army during the American Civil War. Robertson's Iowa upbringing would instill in him firm progressive attitudes.[1]
The fifth child born to a family of six sons and five daughters, Robertson was educated in the Iowa public school system. Robertson became a licensed teacher when he was 16. While teaching, he was privately studying law and the legal system, and he passed the Iowa
Chandler was newly established by European Americans via the
Robertson became known as one of the most resourceful trial lawyers and legal counselors in the Oklahoma and Indian territories.[1] In 1906, Robertson became a partner in Hoffman and Robertson, a law firm he practiced with for the next two years.[3]
Political career
Oklahoma was
Before his appointment to the court, Robertson played an active role in the Oklahoma and national Democratic parties.[5] He offered to help any Democratic candidate in any way he could. On a trip with Governor Haskell to Denver, Robertson represented the Oklahoma Democratic Party. Robertson zealously supported the Democratic nomination of William Jennings Bryan for the presidency.[1]
Robertson continued to serve as a judge until Governor Charles Haskell, now his friend, chose not to seek re-election in 1910. Resigning his seat on the court to run for governor, Robertson ultimately withdrew from the Democratic primary to support Lee Cruce. The latter won the party's nomination and served as the second governor of Oklahoma.
In 1911, Robertson was appointed to the first Oklahoma Supreme Court Commission.[6]
Not satisfied with returning to private life, Robertson ran for Congress. Reapportionment after the 1910 Federal Census had resulted in Oklahoma being granted three seats in the United States Congress. Robertson ran in the Democratic primary for his district's seat, but he failed to receive the party's nomination.
Robertson returned to private law practice in Oklahoma City. In 1914, Governor Cruce, like Haskell before him, decided against running for a second term. Robertson tried to get the Democratic nomination for governor, but Robert L. Williams, the popular former Chief Justice of Oklahoma, won it instead.[3]
Robertson's beloved wife Olive died on June 1, 1914, leaving Robertson to raise their two children.[3]
Gubernatorial campaign
Robertson's persistence in politics paid off. In 1918, seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination for the third consecutive time, Robertson defeated the colorful and popular William H. Murray.
The popularity of former Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
Robertson was inaugurated on January 13, 1919, as Oklahoma's fourth governor. He was soon faced with two national issues: nationwide prohibition and women's suffrage.
Under Governor Haskell, Oklahoma had already adopted a firm policy against alcohol. Robertson worked to build on Haskell's policies, leading Oklahoma to overwhelmingly ratify the
Written with progressivism in mind, Oklahoma's constitution enshrined the right to vote for all races and both women and men. But the state had passed amendments and laws that in practice
Among Robertson's accomplishments was the creation of the office of Oklahoma Commissioner of Pensions. He also established cooperative marketing agencies to serve the state's farmers, who suffered low prices due to agricultural overproduction continuing after World War I had driven up demand. Robertson also ushered a bill through the legislature providing for the addition of over 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of paved roads, more than had been paved in all three previous administrations.
Partly using his experience as a teacher, Robertson also focused on improving Oklahoma's school system. First, he worked to change how colleges operated in Oklahoma. Before his administration, colleges had been supervised by the State Board of Education under the State School Superintendent. Under Robertson, the governor's power over colleges increased with the creation of a Board of State Regents, its members appointed by the governor, to oversee all institutions of higher education. In his budgets, Robertson also funded improvements in teacher certification, higher standards for school performance and accreditation, consolidation of many rural schools, and institution of a subsidized textbook program. He proposed increased funding for schools with apparent inadequacies, but this measure was rejected by the legislature.[1]
Robertson also had setbacks. His administration's work on Oklahoma's highways was a vast improvement to what the state had had, but it was not sufficient to catch up to the need. He failed to get voter support for the $50 million in necessary highway improvements. Although the Socialist Party was no longer a political threat, it advocated strikes. In 1919, telephone workers struck in
Robertson's administration struggled with the economic effects of a downturn in the oil industry, and nationwide recession, and the poor economy added to racial tensions in the state. The postwar period was one of the worst in race relations in Oklahoma's history. To help confront this issue, Robertson created a commission on racial relations composed of both white and black members, but it did little to improve things.
In the early morning hours of June 1, 1921, a race riot broke out in Tulsa, where white mobs looted and burned most of Greenwood, the prosperous center of the African-American community in the city.
To make matters worse politically, under Robertson's guard the Democrats lost control of the Oklahoma Legislature. Following the 1920 midterm elections, the Republicans gained control of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Also, the U.S. presidency shifted from Democrat Woodrow Wilson to Republican Warren G. Harding.[4] Oklahoma lost its Democratic U.S. senator, Thomas Gore, who was replaced by John W. Harreld, the first Republican from Oklahoma to serve in the United States Senate. Robertson was left with a divided legislature. He was not successful in gaining passage for his proposed policies for the remaining two years of his term.
Scandals haunted Robertson's administration during the remainder of his term. Disputes between the Republican House and Democratic Senate resulted in the House's investigation of the executive branch, most notably Robertson himself.[4] As in the case of Governor Lee Cruce before him, the House came within one vote of impeaching Robertson.
In 1921 the House adjourned without voting on appropriation bills. This forced Robertson to operate the government on deficit spending until he called a special session of the legislature to resolve the issue. Robertson also faced considerable opposition from the Republican Corporation Commissioner Campbell Russell, who exposed what the Republicans believed to be a scandal in Robertson's handling of pardons and paroles.[4]
With the inauguration of
Later life, arrest, and death
As a private citizen, Robertson resumed practicing law. Following his leave from office, Robertson, along with some 30 current and former state officials, was charged with bribery in a bank scandal.
Robertson died of cancer on March 7, 1938, in Oklahoma City.[5] He was buried in his adoptive hometown of Chandler in Oak Park Cemetery.
State of the State Speeches
- "First State of the State Speech" (PDF). (117 KB)
- "Second State of the State Speech" (PDF). (178 KB)
- "Third State of the State Speech" (PDF). (798 KB)
- "Extraordinary Address to the Legislature" (PDF). (64.6 KB)
References
- ^ a b c d e f "State biography of James Robertson" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2006. (57.2 KB)
- ^ Journal of Proceedings of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. pp. 684–685
- ^ a b c d e f Thoburn, p. 1251.
- ^ a b c d e f O'Dell, Larry. Robertson, James Brooks Ayers (1871-1938) Archived October 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. (accessed June 30, 2013)
- ^ a b "Former Governor Robertson Dies". Lawton Constitution. Oklahoma City. UP. March 7, 1938. pp. 1, 7. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Robertson, James Brooks Ayers at The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture; retrieved April 25, 2023
- ^ "1921 Tulsa Race Massacre".
- ^ Oklahoma Commission, Report on the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, February 28, 2001, Internet Archive {full text online}
- ^ a b "Tulsa In Remorse to Rebuild Homes; Dead Now Put at 30" (PDF). The New York Times. Tulsa, Oklahoma (published June 3, 1921). June 2, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Oklahoma Governor Put Under Arrest; J.B. Robertson Is Accused of Accepting Bribes in Connection With Bank Failures". The New York Times. Okmulgee, Oklahoma (published March 23, 1922). March 22, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Sources
- Thoburn, Joseph B. A Standard History of Oklahoma. Vol. 3, p. 1054. American Historical Society. Chicago and New York. 1916.
- "State biography of James Robertson" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2006. (57.2 KB)