Kentucky' M other of Governors
K e n t ucky ' M o th e r o f G o ve rn o rs
JOHN WILSON TOWNSEND an
Au thor of
Richard Hickman Mene fee
Ke ntuckians in H istory a n d Literature The Life of James Francis Leonard Etc
The Ken tucky State Historical Society
r n kfort Ke k F a , n tuc y
1 9 1 0
' Editor s Introduction
H I F I T S , THE RS volume of the Kentucky — Historical Series a series j ust inaugur ated by the Kentucky State Historical — Society is a study of Kentucky initiative in the United States as exemplified in these more than one hundred sons of o u r Commonwealth who have served as Governors of other States a n d
territories .
Mr . Townsend has realized that the list is the
important thing, and he has made an earnest effort
to have it complete . For this reason he has been
content W ith sketches in miniature of each executive ,
knowing that , had he attempted anything like an
adequate notice of each man , his paper would have
become an octavo .
The E ditor of this series believes that Kentucky
' Mother of Governors is a creditable piece of work ; something new under the Kentucky history sun ; and well suited to be the first in a series of books that the Kentuck y State Historical Society will issue
from time to time .
R RT M S . JE NNIE C . M O ON
Th e K en tu ck y S ta t e H is t or i ca l S ociety
F r a n k or K en tuck f t , y
’ Author s ' refatory Note
HIS ' A' E R IS the result of a summer
’ day s browsing in a public library . The
writer was bent on being amused , but
h e was amazed to find that so many
Kentuckians had served as governors of other state s
and territories . This amazement grew into genuine ff interest and , for more than two years , at di erent
e d tim s , the writer developed the t heme until h e h a it in some sort Of shape f or a paper .
Though only completed in its present form ,
' Kentucky ' Mother of Governors has been read f f be ore the Filson Club , O Louisville , and the Ohio Valley Historical Association ; and it was published
Th Re is ter some months ago in e g , and in the third annual report of the Ohio Valley H i storical Associa
tion . This list may not even now be complete , but ,
if it is not , the writer here abandons the task as — unfinishable f or him . J OH N WILS ON TOW NSE ND
Th e K en t u ck y S t a t e H is t or ica l S ociety
F r a n k or K en tu ck f t , y
2 6 September , 1 9 1 0
To
L . M . O . of Ken tucky
Ken tucky ' Mother of Govern ors
IRGINIA , THE MOTHER of Presidents ;
Kentucky, the mother Of Governors ' An d
it is in a larger , truer sense that Kentucky
Of is the mother Governors , than it is that f Virginia i s the mother o Presidents . It has been many years since the Old Dominion f urnished a President—and she has furnished but five in all while the Bluegrass St ate has been making governors f or e her sist r States since the Republic was f ounded .
Indeed , the time has come for Virginia to relinquish
her famous title t o her sister , Ohio , the mother Of
eight presidents .
TO be exact , Kentucky has given on e hundred and five executives to twenty- six Commonwealths or
territories . This count , however , regards a Ken t u ck ia n and a term of Office as synonymous ; b ut it
does not include Justice John Boyle , who declined the g over n s h ip Of Illinois territory in 1 809 ; n or wh f William 0 . Butler , o re used to govern the territory of Nebraska in 1 855 ; n or James Birney , son Of the great James Gillespie Birney , who was
Lie utenant- Governor of Michigan in 1 860 ; nor
Governor M oses Wisner , of Michigan , who died in
Kentucky ; n or does it include the brilliant Jesse D .
- Of 1 841 , Bright , Lieutenant Governor Indiana in and
a citizen Of Kentucky for many years . By a Kentuckian the present writer means a
native son ; an adopted son who has lived at least
1 5 en t uc ' other o over n or K ky M f G s . ten years in Kentucky ; one who has lived but a few
o years in this State , a s j ourner ; and on e who was
or educated in whole in part in Kentucky, the college — claim . Under these four heads although , perhaps , admitting that the first two are the only legitimate
claims a State can hold upon a man or woman , and — that th e last t wo are merely interesting the
wh o theme will be considered . The Kentuckian s were to the manor born will be discussed first ,
n beginning with Missouri , because it is ge erally known that more sons of Kentucky have occupied the gubernatorial chair o f that State than of any
other . Missouri
Lilburn W . Boggs was born in Kentucky in 1 79 8 .
He saw much real service in the War Of 1 8 1 2 ; and
he s ettled in Missouri in 1 8 1 6 . Boggs prepared him self f or the governorship by serving several terms in
the Missouri Legislature . He was elected Governor
f r in 1 8 36 , and his administration is noted o the vigor with which he put down the Mormon outbrea ks .
Several years bef ore his death , Governor Boggs
f 1 861 . removed to Cali ornia , where he died in The next Kentuckian to win the governorship
was Thomas Reynolds , wh o was born in Bracken 1 1 county , Kentucky, March 2 , 79 6 . He studied law
- and , at the age Of twenty one years , he emigrated to
Illinois . In 1 82 8 he removed to Missouri , where he 4 was soon sent to the Legislature . In 1 8 0 Reynolds
f ew was elected Governor , and a months before the expiration Of his term he committed suicide .
The eighth Governor Of Missouri was John C .
- E dwards , a Kentuckian born . E dwards was edu ca t ed in Tennessee and he then emigrated to
1 845 t h f - Missouri . In , at e age o thirty nine years , he was elected Governor—on e of the youngest men
who ever held the office in M issouri . At the conclu f sion o his term , Governor E dwards removed to 88 f 1 8 . Cali ornia , in which State he died in
Claiborne F . Jackson was born in Fleming
county, Kentucky , in 1 807 , and removed to Missouri at the age of twenty-five years and enlisted for ser
in vice the Black Hawk War . He was elected Gov
I7 en tu c ' oth er o r n or K ky M f G ove s .
er n 1 or of the State in 860 . He was a Southern sympathizer and he allowed his enemies to drive him f n rom the State Capitol , a d the Legislature to depose f him from his o fice . Governor Jackson died at Little 1 Rock , Ark . , late in the year 1 86 .
’ Missouri s seventeenth Governor , Benj amin Gratz K 2 8 1 82 6 Brown , was born in Lexington , y . , May , .
He was graduated f rom Transylvania a n d Yale
Universities . In 1 85 1 Brown emigrated to Missouri , where he spent the subsequent twenty years in 1 863 j ournalism , law , and duelling . In he was
elected to the United States Senate . Brown served
four years in the Senate and , in 1 870 , he was elected
Governor Of Misso uri . Governor Brown was Horace
’ Greeley s running mate for the Presidency in 1 872 , and af ter his defeat he resumed the practice of law 1 885 in St . Louis , in which city he died in . H e was the most interesting man who has ever governed
Missouri , we should say .
Silas Woodson , a native Of Knox county, Ken
’ tucky, was Brown s successor in the executive chair
’ of Missouri . Woodson was a farmer s boy , attending
the county schools of his day, and finishing his
education with a desultory study of the law . At
- the age Of twenty one , he was admitted to the bar . The few years following he spent in the Kentucky 1 849 Legislature and as a circuit attorney . In he was a delegate to the t hird Kentucky Constitutional
Convention . A few years later , Woodson removed
1 8 2 . to Missouri and , in 7 , he was elected Governor
1 89 6 . . M O. O 9 He died in St Joseph , , ctober ,
1 8
Ken tu cky ' Mother of Gover n or s .
Francis is on e of the most representative citizens in
the Mississippi Valley .
’ Governor Francis successor , William J . Stone , K 4 was also born in Richmond , y . , in 1 8 8 . At the
f M O. age Of fi teen years , he removed to Columbia , , and completed his education at the State University
there . In 1 89 2 Stone was elected Governor Of t Misso uri , and six years ago he was sen to the United States Senate to succeed that other distin
u is h e . . g d son Of Kentucky, George G Vest Here we have ten native Kentuckians wh o have
been governors of Missouri .
20 Illinois
3 1 809 On February , , Illinois territory was
organized and , twenty days later , President Madison
appointed Nathaniel Pope secretary of the territory . K 1 4 Pope was born in Louisville , y . , in 78 , and he was graduated f rom Transylvania University in 1 80 6 . He shortly af terward settled as a lawyer in — Ste . Genevieve , Missouri a little town that also
attracted Henry Dodge , af terward Governor Of
Wisconsin , and George W . Jones , afterward United 1 States Senator from Iowa . On April 2 5 , 809 , Pope took the oath Of Office as secretary Of Illinois terri — tory and , as Governor elect E dwards did not reach 1 the Capitol until June 1 , Secretary Pope was acting Governor f rom April 2 5 to June 1 1 —nearly seven
’ weeks . Pope was the territory s delegate in the 1 8 1 8 Fourt eenth and Fifteen Congresses , and from 1 850 until his death at St . Louis , in , he was United
States Judge for the District of Illinois . f f The fi th Governor o Illinois , Jo seph D uncan , K was born at Paris , y . , in 1 789 . Duncan served 1 1 8 gallantly in the War Of 1 8 1 2 , and in 8 he removed
of to Illinois . In 1 834 he was elected Governor the
State . At the conclusion of his term , Governor
Duncan returned to Jacksonville , Ill . , where he spen t
the remainder of his life .
’ Governor Duncan s successor , Thomas Carlin , K — was born near Frankfort , y . , in 1 789 the same
n year that gave his predecessor birth . When Carli
of t o was eleven years age , hi s family removed
2 1 en tu c ' other o r n K ky M f G ove or s .
M issouri and later to Illinois . He served his adopted
State as Governor , and died in 1 852 . The eleventh Governor Of Illinois was a Ken u k n t c ia to the core , Richard Yates , born at Warsaw ,
K 1 8 1 8 8 Of y . , Jan uary , 1 . Yates received part his
academic training at Georgetown College , George K T town , y . , and then graduated in law at r a n s yl
vania . He removed to Illinois to practice . In 1 858 Yates to ok the stump for Lincoln against Douglas for the Presidency . He was elected Governor Of the State two years later and he is famous a s the
“ ' War Governor of Illinois . At the close of his term
Governor Yates resumed the practice of law . He
2 7 1 873 . o died in St . Louis , November , G vernor
’ on - Yates S , Richard , was the twenty fourth Governor
of Illinois . ’ Illinois twelfth , fourteenth and eighteenth G overnor was one man , and a Kentuckian , Richard
K en J . Oglesby . He was born in Oldham county, 2 1 4 tucky, July 5 , 82 . Left an orphan at eight years of 1 3 age , he went to Illinois in 8 5 , where he attended
school for a short time . Oglesby studied law and f was admitted to the bar . At the close o the Mexican — — War in which he took a splendid part h e attended a law school in Louisville f or a year and then went
- to California as a f orty niner . Oglesby rose to the
rank Of general in the Civil War . A thrilling, timely speech made him the logical candidate f or Governor o ma n ifi f Illin ois in 1 8 64 , and he was elected by a g
cent maj ority. His second term as Governor was interrupted by his election to the United States
22 r Ken tucky ' Mother of Gover n o s .
Senate . In 1 884 he was for the third time elected
“ ' Governor . Governor ( Uncle Dick ) Oglesby died
1 1 2 4 1 899 . at Elkhart , I . , April ,
Of John M . Palmer, thirteenth Governor Illinois ,
K . 1 8 1 7 . was born in Scott county, y , in When he
t o . was fif teen years old , his father removed Illinois Palmer was unable to complete his college course
because Of the lack Of funds , but he studied at home 1 and was admitted to the bar in 839 . He was a 1 868 brave soldier during t h e Civil War , and in he
was elected Governor Of Illinois , succeeding Oglesby .
He had the great Chicago fire Of 1 871 to handle 1 during his administration . In 1 89 Palmer was t l sent to the United S ates Senate and , five years ater , he made the race f or the Presidency on the gold
Democrat ticket . His running mate was the Old
5 Kentucky Governor , General S . B . Buckner . Of
course , they were overwhelmingly beaten . Governor
2 5 1 9 00 . Palmer died at Springfield , Ill . , September ,
s Some eight year ago his autobiography appeared .
Shelby M . Cullom , sixteenth and seventeenth
Of Governor Illinois , was born in Wayne county ,
Kentucky, in 1 82 9 . When a boy Of ten der years , he
removed to Tazewell county , Illinois . Cullom studied
law and he was early elected to the State Legislature . 1 864 In he was elected to Congress , an d he has been
m of a me ber that body ever since , except the six years he served as Governor ( 1 876 and a
in short time he was engaged the banking business .
’ Senator C ullom s solid , practical mind appeals to all
men .
23 Indiana
Among the States that have been governed by K entuckians , in point Of numbers , Indiana ranks third . The fourth State Govern or of Indiana was
James B . Ray, a native of Jefferson county, Ken
tucky . Ray studied law and was admitted to the
Cincinnati bar . He later removed to Indiana , where he was elected Governor in 1 82 6 . Governor Ray
made an able executive , being especially interested in the internal improvements Of the State . He died in Cincinnati in 1 848 .
’ Henry Smith Lane , Indiana s thirteenth Gov er n or , was born in Montgomery county, Kentucky, in 1 81 1 . He was educated in his native county and , 1 4 in 83 , he removed to Indiana . Lane was elected
Governor in 1 860 , but he had served only four days when he was sent to the United States Senate .
1 n d 1 8 Senator Lane died in Crawfordsville , , June ,
1 88 1 .
- The twenty third Governor Of Indiana , Claude
Matthews , was a native Of Bath county , Kentucky, 1 4 born in 8 5 . A few years af ter the death Of his mot h er , h is father married the second time and _ f removed his amily to Maysville , Ky . Matthews prepared for college and entered old Centre at Dan
n 1 8 ville , graduating i 67 . In the following year he
went to Indiana . Matthews was elected Governor
in 1 892 . He was a Free Silver Democrat and a
prominent candidate f or the presidential nomina
’ tion in 1 89 6 . But Mr . Bryan s glittering cross Of
24 en tu c ' other o over n or K ky M f G s .
’ s o gold dazzled the delegates eyes , and his piercing
“ ' Of crown thorns so punctured all previous booms , that the gif ted Kentuckian was as one with Richard “ Parks Bland , better known as Silver Dick , and a
- Kentuckian born . Governor Matthews died in In dia n a oli 1 89 — p s , August 2 8 , 8 the last Kentuckian to
govern Hoosier State .
2 5 Ohio
’ One Of Ohio s greatest men was Thomas Corwin , K 4 T ' a native Of Paris , y . , born in 1 79 . When om ,
as he always was called , was but four years of age ,
his father removed to Ohio , where the son studied
law and was admitted to the bar . In 1 830 Corwin
was sent to Congress , where his eloquence and wit won him a national reputation . He served in the f House or ten years , when he was elected Governor
Of Ohio by a large maj ority . In 1 844 Corwin was
elected to the United States Senate , and six years later President Fillmore made him his Secretary Of the Treasury . He served another term in Congress f be ore his death , which occurred at Washington , 1 December 1 8 , 865 .
’ -fif Ohio s thirty t h Governor , Richard Moore
Bishop , was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, in
1 8 - 1 2 . At the age Of thirty six , Bishop went to 1 8 9 Cincinnati to enter the grocery business . In 5 1 877 he was elected mayor of Cincinnati and , in , he
was chosen Governor Of the State . Governor Bishop
wa s a prominent member of the Church Of the Dis 1 89 ciples f or many years . He died in 3 .
26
Ken tu cky ' Mother of G over n or s .
1 1 Miller did not reach the Post until Christmas , 8 9 , so Crittenden served as Governor for about a year . 1 82 0 s Late in the year , the capitol wa moved to
Little Rock .
The sixth Governor of Arkansas was Henry M . K 1 8 1 6 Rector, who was born in Louisville , y . , in . He was educated by his mother and in the Louisville
schools . Rector removed to Arkansas when a young 1 man and , in 860 , he was elected Governor . He had served but two years when the State Supreme Court
declared his seat vacant . Governor Rector died some
years ago .
Of Another native Louisville , Thomas J . Churchill ,
was the thirteenth Governor Of Arkansas . He was educated in Louisville an d served in a Kentucky regiment during the Mexican War and he also saw much service in the Kentucky campaign in the Civil f War . In 1 8 80 Churchill was elected Governor O
Arkansas . ' Only on e Kentuckian has ever been elected Gov
Of er n or of Colorado ' John Long Routt , a native
’ 2 R t t s K 1 8 6 . ou E ddyville , y . , born in father died
when he was very small , and when he was ten years
Old his mother removed to Illinois , where the son was educated an d taught a trade . He served under General Grant gallantly in the Civil War and Presi
dent Grant appointed him Governor Of C olorado
territory in 1 8175 . Governor Routt prepared the 1 876 f or t , , territory s atehood , which was granted in and the people immediately chose him as the first 3 State Governor . In 1 88 Governor Routt was elected
2 8 en tuc ' other o r n K ky M f Gove or s .
mayor Of Denver , and seven years later he was again
chosen Governor . He n ow resides in Denver .
David S . Walker , seventh Stat e Governor Of
Of Florida , was a native Logan county, Kentucky . He was educated in a Kentucky private school and then removed to Florida . Walker was elected Gov er n or 1 86 in 5 , and he served three years . He died 1 89 1 in Tallahassee , Fla . , July 2 0 , . The fifth State Governor of Idaho was Frank K W . Hunt , born at Newport , y . , in 1 86 1 . He was educated in the Newport schools and then went to
Idaho in 1 888 . Hunt served in the Spanish
American War and , at its close , he entered politics .
In the f all Of 1 900 he was elected Governor Of Idaho 1 9 3 and served until January , 0 . Governor Hunt
was an able executive , always urging his people to take deep interest in agriculture and commerce . He
died at his home in Boise in 1 9 06 .
Th e twenty-third and twenty-f ourth Governor o f Kansas , E dward W . Hoch , was born in Danville , K y . , in 1 849 . Hoch was educated at Centre College . He then spent three years as a reporter on a Lex in n gt o newspaper , when he resigned and went to
Kansas to engage in j ournalism . He was elected
Governor Of Kansas on the Republican ticket in 1 90 5
’ - and r e elected in 1 907 . Governor Hoch s home is K in Topeka , ansas .
f . The thirteenth Governor o Louisiana , Robert C
1 82 0 . K . Wickliff e , was born in Bardstown , y , in He t graduated at Cen re College , Danville , at the age
’ Of twenty years . Wick liff e s poor health drove him
29 t r o r n r Ken uc ky ' Mothe f Gove o s .
to Louisiana shortly after his graduation . In 1 856
he was elected Governor Of the State . Governor
Wickliff e was an able lawyer , which aided him greatly in his work as Governor . He died at
K 1 8 1 89 5 . Shelbyville , y . , April , He was an uncle f O former Governor J . C . W . Beckham , of Kentucky .
’ Joshua Baker , Louisiana s military Governor
1 8 1 - from 67 to 868 , wa s a Kentuckian born . Baker was a small boy when his family r emoved to
Louisiana . He studied law in that State and then returned to Kentucky t o practice his profession .
Governor Baker died in Connecticut in 1 886 .
Willis A . Gorman , the second territorial Governor K a s . Of Minnesot , was born near Fleming burg, y , in
1 8 1 4 . He spent much of his early life in Indiana .
Gorman served as Governor of Minnesota ( 1 853
1 857 He fought gallantly in the C ivil War . He
2 0 1 876 . died at St . Paul , Minn . , May ,
’ Green Clay Smith , Montana s second territorial K Governor, was a native Of Richmond , y . , born in 1 8 2 3 . He was graduated at Transylvania University
t . and began the practice Of law in Coving on , Ky He 1 866 was early in the Kentucky Legislature . In President Johnson appointed Smith Governor of
Montana territory, and he did much to prepare the 1 870 territory for statehood . About Governor Smith became a minister Of the Baptist Church . He died 30 1 89 3 in Washington , D . C . , June , . The seventh territorial Governor Of Montana was
. of m . Samuel T Hauser , a native Fal outh , Ky He was educated in Falmouth and soon emigrated to
30 r n r Ken tucky ' Mother of Gove o s .
Missouri and then to Montana . Hauser erected the
first silver mill ever in Montana . President Cleve lan d appointed him Governor Of the territory in 1 885 and he served f or t wo years . Governor Hauser ’ s successor was an Old Ken
tucky Governor , Preston H . Leslie , born in Wayne 1 1 9 1 county, Kentucky, in 8 . In 87 1 Leslie def eated
Mr . Justice John M . Harlan , n ow of the United
f or States Supreme Court , Governor of Kentucky .
At the close Of his term , he practiced law f or a f ew
years and then went to Montana . Leslie , lik e Hauser,
served as Governor Of Montana but two years
( 1 887 - 1 889 ) In 1 894 President Cleveland appointed
Leslie United States District Attorney f or Montana . 1 907 He died in Helena , Montana , in .
’ Montana s third State Governor , Robert B . Smith ,
1 854 . was born in Hickman county , Kentucky, in
He was educated in the Kentucky schools , taught in fi l K this State and he was admitted to the M a y e d, y . ,
bar . In 1 882 Smith moved to Montana . He served
f or four years as United States District Attorney
f or Montana and was elected Governor in 1 896 on
the Fusion ticket .
The present Governor of Montana , E dward L .
Norris , was born and reared in Cumberland county,
Kentucky . Some twenty years ago he went West ,
locating in Montana . He was a member Of the State
- Senate and af terwards Lieutenant Governor . When
Governor Toole resigned , Norris became acting
Governor . In the autumn Of 1 9 0 8 , he was elected
Governor on the Democratic ticket . Governor
3 1 r Ken tucky ' Moth er of Gover n o s .
Norris , accompanied by members of his staff, was in Kentucky several months ago r e-visiting the
scenes Of his youth . He is noted as a lawyer . f The fi th territorial Governor of Nebraska ,
. William A Richardson , was born near Lexington ,
K . 1 8 1 1 y , in , and died in ' uincy, Ill . , in 1 875 . He
was educated at Transylvania University, studied
law , and then removed to Illinois . He subsequently served in the Illinois Legislature and in the Mexican
. 1 84 1 8 War He was sent to Congress in 6 , and in 85 was appointed territorial Governor of Nebraska and
served several months . In 1 863 he was elected to
’ the United States Senate to fill Stephen A . Douglas
unexpired term . The last territorial Governor Of Nebraska was K Alvin Saunders , born in Fleming county, y . , July 1 2 1 , 8 1 7 . Saunders lef t Kentucky at the age Of 1 6 twelve years for Illinois . From 1 86 1 to 8 7 , he
served Nebraska as Governor . He was much loved by the peopleOf Nebraska and he was later sent to
the lower house Of Congress . Governor Saunders
O . 1 89 9 . died in maha , Neb , in
Joseph Cla y Styles Blackburn was born in Wood f ord county, Kentucky , October 1 , 1 8 38 . He gradu
’ ated from Centre College in the class of 57 . In the f ollowing year he began the practice Of law in
Chicago . After the war between the States , in which
he served , he resumed the practice of hi s profession 1 870 in Versailles , Ky . In Blackburn began his political career as a member Of the Kentucky Legis
la t u r e. In 1 875 he went to Congress and served
32 n t ther o er n r Ke ucky ' Mo f Gov o s .
f in both branches , with the exception o a short
1 9 07 . O A 1 1 9 07 period , until March , n pril , , Presi dent Roosevelt appointed him a member of the f Isthmian Canal Commi ssion , in charge o the De ' pa r tmen t Of Civil Administration in the Canal one , and it was Governo r Blackburn f or the next three
years . Recently President Taf t appointed Maurice Hud s on f Thatcher, ormerly State Inspector and Exam f ’ iner , and a poet O n o mean ability, as Blackburn s successor . Governor Thatcher was born in Butler
county , Kentucky , a man Of the people who has done
things f or years .
The twenty-fourth Governor Of Tennessee was
A . O lbert S Marks , who was born near wensboro ,
' . 1 6 1 836 f v , October , . At the age o nineteen years ,
Marks went to Tennessee and began the study Of
. 1 8 law He served in the Civil War and , in 87 , he
was elected Governor of Tennessee . Governor
4 1 89 1 . Marks died in Nashville , Tenn . , November ,
’ Governor Marks successor , Alvin Hawkins , was
Of a native Bath county , Kentucky . When he was
only five years Old , his family removed to Tennessee , where he was educated and taught a trade . He later
taught school and read law . Hawkin s held several fine Offices bef ore he was elected Governor of the
1 1 90 5 . State in 880 . Governor Hawkins died in Another Kentuckian who governed the Volunteer
M cM illa n State was Benton , a native of Monroe
county, Kentucky , born in 1 845 . M cM illa n was
n w educated at Kentucky University, o rechristened
with its famous name , Transylvania . He began the
33 n n r Ke tu cky ' Moth er of G over o s .
of practice law in Tennessee in 1 87 1 . For twenty
M M illa n years c represented his district in Congress .
In 1 89 9 he was elected Governor and r e- elected in
’ 1 9 0 1 . M cM illa n s Governor home is Carthage , Ter m.
The first provisional , American Governor of
Texas was Henry Smith , who was born in Kentucky 1 84 in 7 . Smith spent his youth in this State and
l r then em g a t ed t o Missouri . From Missouri he went
to Texas , being elected Governor in 1 835 . In the f f f all O the next year , he declined the presidency o
the republic of Texas , and Sam Houston was elected ,
with Governor Smith as Secretary of the Treasury .
Govern or Smith was a forty-niner to California and
L o 4 1 851 . he died in s Angeles , March ,
John Ireland , a native Of Hart county , Kentucky,
was the seventeenth Governor of Texas . At the age
of f twenty years , he served as deputy sheriff O Hart
of county . He shortly afterwards began the study
M n s ill Ia w and wa s a dmitted to the bar Of u f or d v e,
Ky . In 1 853 Ireland settled in Texas , and , after
h aving served on the State Supreme Court , he was
elected Governor in 1 882 ; and the people a pproved
- n h is administration by r e electing him . Gover or
5 1 89 6 . Irelan d died in San Antonio , March , Two Kentuckians have been Governors of Utah
Eli H . Murray and Caleb W . West . Murray was
born in Breckinridge county , Kentucky, September 44 1 2 , 1 8 . He fought in the Union Army in Ken
a tucky during the Civil War . In 1 8 66 he was p
pointed United States M arshal f or Ken tucky and
e he held this Office for ten years , when he becam
34
The Adopted Sons
This completes the list of the native bo rn Ken t u ck ia n s ; we must now go back to Missouri and
consider the adopted sons . The first adopted son of Kentucky to rule Missouri was Benj amin Howard . In 1 80 7 Captain Meriwether Lewis succeeded General James Wilkinson as Governor of the terri 1 tory and , when he die d in 809 , Benj amin Howard
was appointed as his successor . Governor Howard
was born in Virginia , but his f ather was on e Of the
early settlers at Boonesboro , Ky. At an e arly age , H oward represented his county in the Kentucky Leg isla t u r e 1 80 and , in 7 , he was a member Of the Lower H f mi ouse o Congress . He resigned in 1 809 and e grated to Louisiana territory t o accept the governor
ship . In 1 8 1 2 the territory Of Orleans became the
s r of State of Loui iana , and the te ritory Louisiana became the territory of Missouri . Governor Howard was continued in Office and he thus became the first
territorial Governor of Missouri . He served until
1 1 8 1 8 1 4 . 8 1 3 , dying in St . Louis , September ,
William Clark , second territorial Governor of 1 770 Missouri , was born in Virginia in , the brother
of General George Rogers Clark . At the age Of
of fourteen years , William Clark became a citizen f Kentucky, settling at the Falls o th e Ohio , n ow
Louisville . He became a noted Indian fighter and
soldier . In 1 804 Clark removed to Missouri , and ,
in the early spring Of that year , he j oined Meriwether
Lewis in the famous exploring expedition from St .
36 en tuc ' other o er r K ky M f Gov n o s .
- Louis to the Columbia River . This epoch making trip lasted two years and it was in a large measure
’ successful because of Clark s knowledge of Indian f li e . President Madison appointed him Governor of 1 Missouri terr itory in 1 8 3 , and he held the Offi ce
seven years . In 1 82 0 Missouri was admitted into
the Union and , in the same year , Alexander M cNa ir defeated Clark f or Governor . Govern or Clark died at St . Louis in 1 838 .
The first and only territorial Governor of Illinois
s l 1 775 bu t wa Ninian E dwards , born in Mary and in , wh o removed t o Kentucky when twenty year s Old. In this State E dwards studied law an d was elected t o the Legislature . He later held several j udgeships , among them a seat on the Court of Appeals bench ,
being, in 1 808 , Chief Justice . In the following year he was appointed Governor Of Illinois territory , and
he served nine years , or until Illinois was admitted into the Union in 1 8 1 8 . He was at once elected as
One of the firs t two United States Senators from m Illinois . At the expiration Of his senatorial ter ,
E dwards was appointed minister t o Mexico , but he
wa s recalled . In 1 82 6 he was elected the third State w Governor Of Illinois . Governor Ed ards died at
Ill 1 833 . Belleville , . , July 2 0 , The fourt h and last territorial Gover nor of In
T - diana was homas Posey , a Virginian born , but a
Kentuckian by a residence of some fifteen years . President Madison appointed Posey territorial Gov er n o r of Indiana , a n d he held the Office until the
37 en tuc ' oth er o er n r K ky M f G ov o s .
territory was admitted into the Union in 1 81 6 .
Govern or Posey died in Illinois in 1 81 8 .
of Ratliff Boon , a native Georgia , was the second
of State Governor Indiana . When a boy , Boon emi K grated to entucky with his father , and in Danville
’ he lea rned the gunsmith s trade . He spent twenty
of in years his life Kentuck y , married a Kentucky
woman , and in 1 809 he removed to Indiana . Ten
- years later , Boon was elected Lieutenant Governor
with Jonathan Jennings as Governor , and when Jennings resigned Boon filled his unexpired term Of
three months . Governor Boon afterwards served 1 844 many years in Congress , dying in Missouri in . 79 4 Noah Noble was born in Virginia in 1 , but
i
he was brough t by his parents to Campbell county,
Kentucky, when a babe in arms , and in that county
he was reared and educated . A few months after
he had reached his maj ority, he removed to Indiana . In 1 831 Noble was elected Governor and he served
six years . Governor Noble continued the internal
improvements inaugurated by Governor Ray , b ut he was never able to Obtain a united support from his
subordinates .
Allen Trimble , a native Of Virginia , served as the
eighth and tenth Governor Of Ohio . Trimble was
brought to Lexington , K y . , when he wa s but on e
year old. The next twenty years of his life was
passed in Lexington and h e then removed to Ohio .
He was acting Governor of the State in 1 82 2 and ,
f r e our years later , he was elected Governor and
38 t ' ot er o n r Ken ucky M h f Gover o s .
elected in 1 82 8 . In 1 832 Governor Trimble retired f f rom active li e and died in 1 870 .
The third territorial Governor of Arkansas was
John Pope , a native of Virginia , who came to Ken tucky when a boy. In this State he studied law a n d 1 82 9 opened an Office in Lexington . In he was a p pointed G overnor Of Ark ansas territory a n d he
s f or . erved six years At the expiration of his term ,
Governor Pope returned t o Kentucky, in which Sta te d 1 2 1 he ied July , 845 .
’ Florida s second territorial Governor, Willlia m P .
Duval , quit Virginia for Kentucky at the age of
fourteen years , finally finding his way to Bardstown , K h y . , w ere he studied law a n d was admitted to the bar . Duval was s oon elected to Congress from Ken
— 1 82 2 a tucky his boy ish ambition . In he was p pointed Governor Of Florida territory an d he served
f i n eight years . Governor D uval was the cr e d Of
Washington Irving and of James K . Paulding, both
Of whom wrote of him in their book s . He died in
1 54 . Washington , D . C . , in 8
’ Iowa s second territorial Governor , John Cham
bers , was a native of New Jersey, but he removed
Of to Mason county, Kentucky, at the age thirteen
years . Ch ambers wa s educated in Kentucky and he
also studied law in this State . For many years he represented his Kentucky district in the Lower
s 1 841 Hou e Of Congress . In Chambers was appointed Governor of Iowa territory and he served f f or five years . Upon the expiration O his term ,
39 en tuc ' oth r o r n or K ky M e f Gove s .
Governor Chambers returned to thi s State and died
at Paris , K y . , in 1 852 .
The fourth terr itorial and first State Governor of
Michigan , Stevens Thompson Mason , was born in
Virginia in 1 81 2 . He was brought to K entucky at
an early age , and was reared and educated in thi s
S O State . , save for this accident of birth , Mason wa s a Kentuckian . At the a ge of nin eteen years , he was appointed secretary Of Michigan territory ;
and upon the death Of Governor Porter , he became acting Governor Of the territory a n d he served on e year . In 1 836 Mason was unanimously elected as fi the rst State Governor . In 1 840 he went to New
York City to practice law , an d he died there three
’ years later . A monument to Mason s memor y was erected in Detroit in the summer Of 1 908 and it was
unveiled by his famous sister , Emily Virginia Mason , who has but recently j oined t h e choir invisible .
’ - Mississippi s twenty sixth Governor, James L .
- Alcorn , was a thorough going Kentuck ian . He was
born in Illinois , but he came to Kentucky when a fi mere lad . In this State he was educated . F or ve
years , Alcorn wa s sheriff Of Livingston county ,
K entuck y, a n d in 1 843 he was in the K entuck y Legis l a t ur e. In th e next year he removed to Mississippi w ith his Kentuck y wife . Alcorn took a notable part
in the K entucky campaign during the Civil War .
He was elected Governor in 1 869 , but soon resigned to tak e a seat in the United States Senate . Governor
Alcorn was on e of the founders of Alcorn College
40 n Ken tucky ' Moth er of G over or s . f or Negroes ; a n d in 1 870 a M ississippi county was
named for him . He died in 1 894 . One lone Kentuckian has found his way to New Mexico and has served the territory as Governor
- David Meriwether, a Virginian born , but a Ken
t u k i c a n by adoption at the early age Of three years . He was edu cated in K entucky schools and was a h member Of t e State Legislature thirteen times .
He also represented Kentucky in the United Stat es
Senate for a few months . In 1 853 Meriwether was
appointed Governor of New Mexico . He spent the
last years Of his life as a K entucky farmer , dying
near Louisville in 1 893 . i The second territor al Governor of Oregon , Joseph
Lane , was a North Caroli nian , who was transplanted
upon Kentucky soil in infancy . Lane settled in
Henderson county , which continued to be his home
1 . until 1 8 6 , when he removed to Indiana His gal
lantry in the Mexican War won him the app oint 1 ment a s Governor of Oregon in 848 . He was John
’ f or C . Breck inridge s running mate the Presidency
in 1 860 . Governor Lane died in Oregon , in Obscurity
9 1 881 . and poverty, April 1 ,
’ Lane s succes s or , John P . Gaines , was born in 1 9 Virginia in 7 5 , but he was brought in early youth f 1 81 2 to Boone county, Kentucky . A ter the War of , s t o in which he erved , he was admitted the bar Of K Walton , y . , and he later represented Boone county 1 850 in the Legislature for several terms . In Presi
dent Fillmore appointed Gaines Governor Of Oregon .
1 858 . He was an able executive . He died in
4 1 en tuc ' oth er o over n or K ky M f G s .
The fi r s t ' a n d fourth territorial Governor of Wis 1 consin , Henry Dodge , was born in Indiana in 782 , K but his father settled near Louisville , y . , when
Henry was but t wo years old. His boyhood was
passed in this State . When a young man , he served 1 2 in the War of 1 81 2 , and in 8 7 removed to Wiscon
sin , where he became famous as an Indian fighter . He was appointed Governor of Wisconsin territory in 1 836 and reappointed in 1 845 . Governor Dodge
1 848 a n d was elected to the United States Senate in , t he served until 1 857 . He died in B urling on , Iowa ,
June 1 9 , 1 867 .
42
n t Ke t ucky ' Mo her of Gover n or s .
almost forgive General Wilkinson everything wh en we remember that he founded the little city that nestles in the beautiful K entucky hills the home or —, quasi home of all great Kentuckians Frank fort .
The fifth State Governor of Missouri , Daniel
or Dunklin , was b n in South Carolina , but he emi K grated to entucky at the age of seventeen years .
He lived three years in this State, when he removed
to Missouri . Governor Dunk lin is commonly called
the father Of the Misso uri public school system .
Ashbel P . Willard was a New York lawyer who took a horseba ck trip through K entucky and liked the Bluegrass State so well that he quit the law for
the school room , teaching f or several years in this
State . In 1 844 Willard gave up teaching for politics .
A fine speech in New Albany , Ind . , caused the
citizens to ask him to open a law Offi ce there . In
1 856 he was elected Governor Of India na , the young
est man who ever held the Office. Governor Willard
died in 1 860 , some months before the expiration of his term .
’ James M . Wells , Louisiana s seventeenth Gov
r n or t s K . , spent a par of hi youth in entucky In 1 864 he was elected Lieutenant - Governor of Louis
a t t ian , and on he resigna ion of Governor Hahn
Wells s ucceeded him in Offi ce . Later in the same year , he was renominated by the Democratic party and
was elected . He was removed by General Sheridan
shortly before the expiration of his term .
44 Those Educated in Kentucky
For the f ourth an d last time , gentle reader , we j ourney t o Mis souri to begin with the school and college men .
Robert M . Stewart, the twelfth chief executive
New Of Missouri , was born in York , but in boyhood
a K k he c me to entuc y, where he was reared , educated
o and admitted to the L uisville bar . He went to
Missouri to practice , but he was soon in politics , 1 and in 857 , after on e of the hottest fights ever
witnessed in Missouri , he was chosen Governor . Governor Stewart made a brilliant but eccentric
M O. 1 871 . executive . He died in St . Joseph , , in
Thomas Ford was born in Pennsylvania in 1 800 ,
but he early went to Illinois , and from there to
Kentucky, where he was e ducated at Transylvania
University. At the conclus ion of his college career , he return ed to Illinois and Governor E dwards appointed him State Attorney. In 1 842 he defeated
Duncan for the governorship Of Illinois . Governor Ford wrote a History of Illinois ' 1 81 8 which
is still the chief authority on that perio d of the
’ -five State s history . He died in 1 850 and , twenty
years late r , Illinois erected a handsome monument
to his memory .
of William H . Bissell , tenth Governor Illinois ,
was born in New York in 1 81 1 , but he came to Kentucky when a young man to study law at the
f amous Old Transylvania University . He went to Illinois upon graduation and later served in the
45 r Ken tucky ' Mother of G over n o s .
f Mexican War . Bissell was elect ed Governor o
Illinois in 1 857 , but he was embarrassed by a Legis la t u r e that was opposed to him politically . Governor
Bissell died in 1 860 .
of The eighth Governor Indiana , James Whit
comb , was a native of Vermont . Without a teacher ,
he prepared himself f or Transylvania University, f rom which institution he was graduated in 1 81 9 .
He immediately began the study of la w, and he was
K 1 82 2 . admitted to the famous Lexington , y . , bar in
w In About t o years later , Whitcomb removed to
diana . In 1 843 he was elected Governor on the
- Democra tic ticket an d r e elected three years later .
Bef ore the close Of his second term , Whitcomb was
con elected t o the United States Senate , where he
n e O 4 1 852 . tin d until his death , ctober ,
’ t - Governor Whitcomb s Lieu enant Governo r , and the man who succeeded him as Governor when he D went to the Senate , was Paris C . u min g , a North
- Carolinian born , who came to Kentucky with his widowed mother when a young man . D umin g lived
in Kentucky only a s hort time , when he went to I ndiana , but he returned to this State to study medi
cine in Louisville . He afterward deserted medicine
f 1 884 . or law . Governor Du min g died in f Wilson Shannon , a native o Ohio , and a graduate
Of Transylvania University, was the fourteenth and
eighteenth Governor of Ohio . He was first elected
- 4 1 855 Governor in 1 838 an d r e elected in 1 8 2 . In President Pierce appointed him territorial Governor
46 Ken tu cky ' Mother of Gover n or s .
of Kansas and he served about on e year . Governor 1 877 Shannon died at Lawrence , Kan . , in .
’ - Alabama s twenty fir s t Govern or , George S . f Houston , was a native o Tennessee , but he studied K law in Harrodsburg , y . , and he wa s admitted to t h e 1 bar there in 8 31 . He soon removed to Alabama
and was elected Governor in 1 874 . Governo r H ou s ton died in 1 879 .
John S . Roane , fourth State Governor Of Ar
kansas , was born in Tennessee , but he was educated
at C umberland College , Princeton , Ky . Roane f served as Governor o Arkansas f rom 1 849 to 1 852 .
’ Augustus Hill Garland , Arkansas eleventh Gov er n or 1 , was born in Tennessee in 832 , but when less
than a year Old his parents settled in Arkansas .
He was sent to Kent ucky to school , receiving his
’ entire academic training at St . Mary s College ,
’ Lebanon , an d St . Joseph s College , Bardstown , both f amous Roman Ca tholic institu tions . Garland began
the study of law in Bardstown , but he returned to
Ark ansa s t o practice . He was elected Governor Of
a the Sta te in 1 847 , an d he succeeded in pl cing its
financial aff airs on a . firm basis . He went to the
e- ct United States Senate in 1 877 , a n d was r ele ed ,
1 8 r serving until 85 , when he became P esident Cleve
’ - l and s Attorney General . He died in Washington
in 1 899 .
- of M is Charles Clark , twenty second Governor
s is s i i 1 8 1 1 wa s pp , was born in Ohio in , an d gradu ated from the f amo us Old Kentucky Methodist insti
t t ion . u , now no longer in existence , Augusta College
47 n tuc ' oth r o r n r Ke ky M e f Gove o s .
He emigrated to Mississippi in 1 831 . Elected Gov er n or of 1 863 the State in , he served throughout t h e remainder Of the war . Governor Clark did a ll in his power to aid the Southern soldier . He died in 1 877
The present Governor Of Mississippi , E dmund
. l K . t t dis F Noe , was educated in Louisville , y , a he tri et schools , and th en spent three years at th e Louis ville High School . In 1 875 and 1 876 he studied law
under his uncle, the late Maj or D . W . Sanders , the
ll - we known Louisville lawyer . In 1 877 Noel left Kentucky and began the practice Of law at Lexing t on , Miss . , which i s his present home . He was elected Governor of Mississippi in 1 907 for the term
expiring in 1 9 1 2 .
The first , fourth and fifth State Governor of
Montana was Joseph Kemp Toole , a native Of Savan M nah , o. , who came to Kentuck y when about sixteen
r years Of age . He entered the Old Western Milita y
Institute , then located at New Castle , Henry county,
tw or Kentucky . Toole studied there for o years ,
f rom 1 867 to 1 869 . In 1 870 he settled in Montana
and , Of course , he studied law . He was a member 1 889 of the State Constitutional Convention of , and shortly thereafter he was elected as th e first State
r Govern or . In 1 900 he was again elected Gove nor
- and r e elected in 1 9 04 , but , before the expiration
Of his term , he resigned , being succeeded by Governor
Norris .
k r t A Tennesseean , James W . Throc mo on , who came to K entuck y when he was nineteen years of
48 en tuc ' other o r K ky M f G over n o s .
a ge t o study medicine , was the eleventh Governor
Of the Lone Star State . Throckmorton studied under
his uncle , Dr . J . E . Throckmorton , at Princeton , K y . , f or s ever a l years . After having completed his _ studies , he removed to Texas , where he practiced
f or medicin e but a few years , when he gave it up law . In 1 866 he was elected Govern or Of Texas , but had hardly served a year when he was oust ed b y General Sheridan .
49 ' la' on Their Names in ' ron' e ' t Parenthetically and before this long, mono onous l i l st is c osed , suffer a suggestion ' This is the da y of memorials ; Kentucky has , without doubt , paid less attention to monuments and memorials of any kind f or her famous sons and da ughters than h a s t w any o her State . No , why not mount in the walls of her magnificent new capitol a long bronze tablet blazoned with the na mes of K entuckians who have
governed other States and territories , setting oppo site their names the Commonwealths they served
with the dates of their terms ' This idea was born
as the writer stood in the rotunda of the University
’ of Virginia and read the names of the University s
sons k illed in battle . The two ta blets there attract ' ’ “ ' as much attention as olnay s Poe . B ut this is
merely an aside for which we apologize a n d ha s ten .
There can be but on e maj or conclus ion concern ing the K entuckians who have governed other
States ; they, broadly speaking, accepted Ho race ’ —“ Greely s advice Go We s t , young man ; go
v. a est . Except in recent years , Kentucki ns , as a — f rule , have eschewed the East no son o this State
has yet been elected Governor of any of the New
England or Middle States ; they have seldom steered — s outhward no Kentuckian has ever been chosen. f executive o Georgia , Nort h or South Carolina or
West Virginia . And , to conclude , hith erto no Ken t u ck ia n has occupied the gubernatorial chair of O klahoma , Wyoming, Alaska , Hawaii , North or
South Dakota , Nevada , Porto Rico , Washington or
California .
50