LORENZO D. LEWELLING AND KANSAS POPULISM A Master‟s Thesis by Jordan Andrew Poland Bachelor of Science, Kansas State University, 2010 Submitted to the Department of History and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts July 2013 1 © 2013 by Jordan A. Poland All Rights Reserved 1 LORENZO D. LEWELLING AND KANSAS POPULISM The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content, and recommend that it be accepted in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts with a major in Public History. __________________________________________________ Jay Price, Committee Chair __________________________________________________ Robin Henry, Committee Member __________________________________________________ H. Edward Flentje, Committee Member iii DEDICATION To my wonderful wife, Brittani, and my parents, Brian and Tammy. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to send a special note of thanks to my advisor, Dr. Jay Price, for his constant encouragement and insight, his countless reading of drafts, and for his friendship and guidance. v ABSTRACT This research explores the Populist era in Kansas and the life of the state‟s twelfth governor, Lorenzo D. Lewelling. Lewelling is an important figure in the Populist movement in Kansas and his rise to power, and subsequent fall, mimics that of the movement as a whole. Through close examination of primary and secondary sources, this research paints the picture of Lewelling‟s life before and during his political career to give a better understanding of the state‟s past. This research gives context to the broader Populist movement by examining the intricacies of one of the state‟s leading figures. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………. 1 II. LORENZO D. LEWELLING……..………………………………………………… 5 III. THE RISE POPULISM IN KANSAS………………………………………………. 13 IV. “THE REVOLUTION OF 1892”………………………………………………….. 30 V. THE LEGISLATIVE WAR………………………………………………………… 45 VI. THE “EGALITARIAN” GOVERNOR…………………………………………….. 74 VII. SENATOR LEWELLING………………………………………………………….. 92 VIII. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………… 104 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………… 108 APPENDIX………………………………………………………………………………….. 116 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION As the masses gathered in the halls of the state capitol in Topeka on January 9, 1893, a buzz filled the air. Those in attendance were witnessing history and they knew it. Kansas had elected its first third party candidate for governor less than three months ago. It was the new governor‟s inauguration ceremony, and hundreds of Kansans braved the bitter Kansas wind and cold to witness it. After a short speech by the ousted Republican governor, Lyman U. Humphrey, in which he warned his successor that the office “is one which subjects to the incumbent the sharpest criticism,” it was time for the citizens of Kansas to hear the message of their new chief executive. Little did the governor-elect know exactly how true Humphrey‟s words would prove, but Kansas had a new governor and was looking toward a brighter future.1 The man elected to the position was one of the better known Populists, but not the iconic figures such as Mary Elizabeth Lease or William Jennings Bryan, who, get much more mention by historians today. When he is mentioned, he is often viewed as one of the worst governors in the state‟s history, and a symbol of the Populists‟ failures. At best, he is remembered primarily for his fiery inaugural speech in 1893. Indeed, many of the new governor‟s contemporaries felt the same way and for years the man was vilified for his part in one of the most notorious episodes in Kansas political history. The story of Kansas‟s twelfth governor, Lorenzo D. Lewelling, was one of rapid rise to power and all its prominence, only to be struck down by the reality of politics in the Sunflower State. The events that took place during Lewelling‟s first 1 Wichita Daily Eagle, January 10, 1893. 1 three months of public office changed the public opinion of him forever and loomed over him until his passing in 1900. In effect, Lewelling‟s election victory in 1892 made him the face of the Populist Party in Kansas, but he was never the real voice of the party, even during his term as governor he never dictated Populist Party policy or action in Kansas. Lewelling was elected because of he was probably the only Populist who could win in a general election, but winning an election and governing proved to be two separate issues. Lewelling‟s pragmatic strengths helped him win the election but alienated many Populists after he was in office. Lewelling was a strong supporter of what became called “Fusion,” or the Populist Party working closely with the Democratic Party to ensure that the Republicans of the state were defeated, and it was his affiliation with this policy that alienated him from the hard-line Populists of the state. His pragmatic stance on issues like fusion made him an easy target for blame by other Populists in the aftermath of the standoff at the capitol and ensured that he would be judged as an ineffective governor for decades. This study, an examination of the life of the state‟s first Populist governor and how his single term influenced party politics in Kansas for twenty years following his defeat, is important because it helps to shed light on contemporary understanding of reform oriented politics. As a whole, historians have written about the Populist movement quite extensively. Historians like O. Gene Clanton, Richard Hofstadter, Peter Argersigner, Rebecca Edwards, Lawrence Goodwyn, Norman Pollack, John Hicks, and Scott McNall have all devoted numerous studies on the Populist movement, in Kansas and in other parts of the country. Generally, studies on the Populist movement tend to focus on the broad themes and platforms of the party. There are a handful of personal stories also that tend to focus on the “stars” of the Populist movement, like Jerry Simpson, Mary Lease, and later, William Jennings Bryan. While not touching in-depth 2 on Lewelling, these studies are extremely important because they form the foundation for further understanding on the lesser known, and therefore lesser understood, Populist figures. Lewelling‟s legacy has appeared in some other secondary works, most notably William Parrish‟s study on the “Legislative War of 1893.” Parrish‟s article brings Lewelling to life throughout the events in mid-February of 1893 but does little to discuss the man and his politics before and after the “Legislative Imbroglio.” Parrish gives an outstanding secondary summation of the events during Lewelling‟s second month in office and is recommended for any student of political history in Kansas. Historian William Parrish gives the best secondary account of the events that took place during the first two months of Lewelling‟s term in office. In his account, Parrish recounts the events chronologically, with special attention to the preceding episodes between the Populists and Republicans to set the stage for what he called “The Great Legislative Imbroglio of 1893.” Surprisingly, for all of the attention the “Legislative War” receives in some circles, Parrish‟s account is the only secondary source of value on the topic. Considering this discussion is more about Lewelling‟s role in the events that took place during the “Legislative War,” the author refrains from reiterating the events of the legislature, as described amply by Parrish, and instead focus on the governor‟s interjections on the situation.2 Aside from William Connelly‟s first-hand account of Lewelling‟s life and administration, only historian Dawn Daniels has attempted an in-depth study of the state‟s twelfth governor. Completed in 1932, her work was an invaluable staring jumping off point but it is lacking in its scope and depth. The work provided a road map while stoking the fire of scholarly research to 2 William E. Parrish, “The Great Kansas Legislative Imbroglio of 1893,” Journal of the West 7 (October 1968), 471- 490. 3 dive into the questions that were left unanswered by the brevity of her work. The Populist movement, as a whole, has been studied much more since the time of Daniels‟ study, which gives the topic much more context, but she should be commended for being one of the first to recognize Lorenzo Lewelling‟s contributions to Kansas politics. 4 CHAPTER II LORENZO D. LEWELLING Lorenzo Dow Lewlling‟s path to prominence was one of hardship and trial, but one that made him into a compassionate candidate who went on to win the governorship of the state of Kansas. Many of the events left profound marks on the man who became the face of the Populist Party in Kansas and those scars resurfaced in his years in the public sphere. The events of his life prior to coming to Kansas are important because it sets the stage for the policies he developed during his political career. Lorenzo Dow Lewelling was born on December 21, 1846, in the town of Salem, Iowa, the youngest child of William and Cyrene Lewelling. The town, founded by the members of the Society of Friends in 1835, was a beacon of Quaker activity in Iowa and Lewelling‟s parents counted themselves as part of the first group to settle in the area. His family, including his father and uncles Henderson and John, were staunch abolitionists, even going so far as to start their own Quaker meeting known as the “Anti- Slavery Friends.” It was in this small hamlet near the Missouri border that the young Lewelling faced the first hardships that came to define his life. When Lorenzo was only two years old, William Lewelling died suddenly of illness while preaching in Indiana at only thirty years old. Only seven years later, his mother, by then remarried to Erich Knudson, was burned to death at the age of thirty-eight, leaving “a large and helpless family” to fend for themselves.