Samuel W. McCall
Samuel Walker McCall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McCall circa 1920 | |
| 47th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 6, 1916 – January 2, 1919 | |
| Lieutenant | Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | David I. Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Calvin Coolidge |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th district | |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Moses T. Stevens |
| Succeeded by | Frederick S. Deitrick |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1889–1892 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Walker McCall February 28, 1851 East Providence Township, Pennsylvania |
| Died | November 4, 1923 (aged 72) Winchester, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Wildwood Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (AB) |
Samuel Walker McCall (February 28, 1851 – November 4, 1923) was an American
, serving three one-year terms (1916–1919). He was a moderately progressive Republican who sought to counteract the influence of money in politics.Born in
Halifax, Nova Scotia following a devastating munitions ship explosion
there in 1917.
Early years and education
Samuel Walker McCall was born in
McCall's parents then sent him east to the
Greek at an academy in Meriden, New Hampshire.[6] The Anvil was one of the first student-run newspapers to comment on national and state politics.[7]
After graduating, McCall moved to
Boston with a Dartmouth classmate,[9] which he maintained for most of his life.[8] In 1888, he and two partners purchased the Boston Daily Advertiser, for which he served as editor-in-chief for two years.[7] In 1881 he married Ella Esther Thompson, whom he met while attending New Hampton Academy;[10] they settled in Winchester, Massachusetts,[7] where they raised five children.[8]
Legislative career
McCall was elected a member of the
Mugwump (he had supported Democrat Grover Cleveland in 1884), he introduced legislation to govern so-called "corrupt practices" of elected officials, intended to reduce the influence of money and favors in politics.[11][12] The legislation failed to pass the legislature until 1892.[13] He also supported legislation abolishing imprisonment for debt.[7] He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888,[14] and served as the state's ballot commissioner in 1890 and 1891.[7]
In 1892, McCall was elected to the
Dingley Tariff, arguing its rates were too high. He was one of the few representatives opposed to the Hepburn Act, which enabled the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad rates.[7][18] He had a reputation as a bit of a maverick, because he often strayed from the Republican party line, but he maintained a generally conservative voting record, and introduced little new legislation.[7]
In 1912, McCall refused to stand for reelection, and was instead considered by the state legislature for election to the
Progressive Party split that damaged the party at the national level, and was narrowly won by Weeks,[19] even though McCall led in the party caucus balloting for the first three ballots.[7]
Governor of Massachusetts
McCall was chosen by the party in 1914 as its nominee for
constitutional convention.[7] In a rematch with Walsh, he was this time victorious. He served three consecutive terms, with future President Calvin Coolidge as his lieutenant governor. In each election, Coolidge won more votes than McCall did, and the Boston Transcript credited at least one of his victories to Coolidge's drawing power.[21]
The
the state constitution. Elections for statewide offices were changed from annual to biennial, beginning in 1920. Legislative reforms proposed by McCall to the state legislature were only partially adopted; proposals reforming state insurance and the public pension program were left in the legislature, and his proposal to abolish capital punishment also failed.[22]
Anticipating
Halifax, McCall called the committee into action, and offered unlimited assistance to the stricken city.[24] The state organized a major relief train (even before the full extent of the disaster was known) that was among the first to reach Halifax, and the committee's representatives assisted in organizing relief activities on the ground.[26] Temporary housing built in Halifax was named in McCall's honor,[27] and the state's relief efforts continue to be recognized today by Nova Scotia's annual gift of a Christmas tree to the city of Boston.[28]
In 1918, McCall decided not to run for reelection, and again stood for the United States Senate. In a party nomination rematch with Weeks, he abandoned the campaign after it became clear the conservative Crane wing of the party was standing with Weeks. The seat ended up being won by ex-Governor Walsh in a Democratic upset.United States Tariff Commission; the nomination was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate.[22]
Later years
McCall was engaged in literary pursuits for much of his public career, writing in various newspapers and magazines. Following his exit from politics he continued to do so, writing for the Pennsylvania congressman Thaddeus Stevens. Additionally, he was working in a biography of Daniel Webster at the time of his death.[22]
McCall died in Winchester on November 4, 1923. His interment was in Wildwood Cemetery.[30] Winchester's McCall Middle School is named in his honor. McCall's grandson, Tom McCall, was a two-term Republican Governor of Oregon, serving from 1967 to 1975.[31]
See also
- 139th Massachusetts General Court
Biographical works
- McCall, Samuel W. (1914). The Life of Thomas Brackett Reed. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Legacy and honors
- Elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1901.[32]
- McCall Middle School in Winchester, Mass., McCall's longtime home, is named in his honor.
References
- ^ Evans, p. 2
- ^ Evans, p. 3
- ^ Gentile, p. 835
- ^ a b Evans, p. 7
- ^ The History of Carroll County, Illinois. H.F. Kett & Co. 1878.
- ^ Evans, pp. 14–16
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Gentile, p. 836
- ^ a b c Toomey & Quinn, p. 109
- ^ Evans, p. 18
- ^ Evans, p. 10
- ^ Sobel, p. 89
- ^ Abrams, p. 270
- ^ Evans, pp. 24, 27
- ^ Evans, p. 23
- ^ Evans, p. 28
- ^ "S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903". GovInfo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. 9 November 1903. pp. 49–50. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ Abrams, p. 30
- ^ Abrams, pp. 126–127
- ^ Sobel, pp. 78–79
- ^ Sobel, pp. 89–90
- ^ Sobel, pp. 101, 107-109
- ^ a b c Gentile, p. 837
- ^ Lyman, p. 3
- ^ a b MacDonald, p. 105
- ^ See Lyman for a description of the commission activities.
- ^ MacDonald, pp. 105-106, 142, 173-183
- ^ "Visit of Governor Samuel W. McCall of Massachusetts to Halifax, November 8-10, 1918". Nova Scotia Archives. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ^ MacDonald, pp. 273-274
- ^ Sobel, pp. 109-110
- ^ United States Congress. "Samuel W. McCall (id: M000305)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "Governor Tom McCall's Administration". Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
- ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
Sources
- Abrams, Richard (1964). Conservatism in a Progressive Era: Massachusetts Politics 1900-1912. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. OCLC 475077.
- Evans, Lawrence Boyd (1916). Samuel McCall, Governor of Massachusetts. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin. p. 3. OCLC 1926950.
- Gentile, Richard H (1999). "McCall, Samuel Walker". Dictionary of American National Biography. Vol. 14. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 835–837. OCLC 39182280.
- Lyman, George Hinckley (1919). The story of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety : February 10, 1917-November 21, 1918. Boston: Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. p. 3. OCLC 5117307.
- MacDonald, Laura M (2005). Curse of the Narrows. New York: Walker & Company. OCLC 748588928.
- Toomey, Daniel C; Quinn, Thomas P, eds. (1892). Massachusetts of To-Day: A Memorial of the State, Historical and Biographical, Issued for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago. Boston: Columbia Publishing Company. OCLC 3251791.
- Sobel, Robert (1998). Coolidge: An American Enigma. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing. ISBN 0895264102.