Joseph W. Folk
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (November 2018) |
Joseph W. Folk | |
---|---|
31st Governor of Missouri | |
In office January 9, 1905 – January 11, 1909 | |
Lieutenant | John C. McKinley |
Preceded by | Alexander M. Dockery |
Succeeded by | Herbert S. Hadley |
Personal details | |
Born | Joseph Wingate Folk October 28, 1869 Brownsville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | May 28, 1923 New York City, U.S. | (aged 53)
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Vanderbilt University |
Joseph "Holy Joe" Wingate Folk (October 28, 1869 – May 28, 1923) was an American lawyer, reformer, and politician from
Early life and education
Joseph Folk was born in
Early in his career, Folk ran for a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1892, wrote newspaper articles, spoke on special occasions, and joined the Knights of Pythias. In 1893, he moved to St. Louis to join his uncle's law practice. Folk married Gertrude Glass on November 10, 1896.[3] He helped to organize the Jefferson Club, a local young Democrats' organization, and acted as the group's president in 1898–1899.[2]
St. Louis career
Folk made his reputation as a lawyer for transit workers in the
Folk earned his nickname by attacking local corruption and party machines. With the assistance of
Governor
Folk was elected the
Later career
Following his gubernatorial term, Folk's focus on morality and unwillingness to compromise eventually made him politically unpopular, and his initial attempts for a senate nomination were unsuccessful. He returned to law practice, toured as a
Folk experienced a nervous breakdown in March 1922, believed to be from overwork.[2] He died aged 53 in 1923 in New York City, and is buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Brownsville, Tennessee.
His Washington, D.C., residence is now the
References
- ^ "Chapter Letters, Chi-Vanderbilt". The Kappa Alpha Journal. 6 (1): 26. November 1888.
- ^ ISBN 0-8262-1222-0.
- ^ Holy Joe: Joseph W. Folk and the Missouri Idea, by Steven Piott; published 1997 by University of Missouri Press; p. 10
- ^ D. K. Goodwin, The Bully Pulpit (Simon & Schuster, 2013) pp. 370–378
Further reading
- Geiger, Louis George. "The public career of Joseph Wingate Folk" (PhD dissertation, University of Chicago; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1948. 0001277.
- Piott, Steven. Holy Joe: Joseph W. Folk and the Missouri Idea (University of Missouri Press, 1997) online