Walter W. Bacon

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Walter W. Bacon
honorific-suffix =

---

imagesize =
small

office = Governor of Delaware
term_start = January 21 1941
term_end = January 18 1949
predecessor = Richard C. McMullen
successor = Elbert N. Carvel
birth_date = birth date|1879|1|20|mf=y
birth_place = New Castle, Delaware
death_date = death date and age|1962|3|18|1879|1|20
death_place = Wilmington, Delaware
spouse = Mabel H. McDaniel
party = Republican
residence = Wilmington, Delaware
alma_mater = Beacom College
occupation =
profession = accountant
religion = Presbyterian

Walter Wolfkiel Bacon (January 20 1879ndash March 18 1962) was an American accountant and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served three terms as Mayor of Wilmington and two terms as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Bacon was born January 20 1880, at New Castle, Delaware, son of John G. and Margaret Foster Bacon. He began selling newspapers at age 8, graduated from New Castle High School, and studied at Beacom College in Wilmington. He married Mabel H. McDaniel on November 28 1906, and had no children. They lived at the Mayfair Apartments on North Harrison Street in Wilmington and were members of the Presbyterian Church.

Professional career

Bacon was an accountant with U.S. Steel in Chester, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia and then with the Repauno Corporation. Upon Repauno's acquisition by the DuPont Company, he moved to the General Motors Division in Michigan where he was Treasurer with the Buick Motor Company from 1918 until 1930. Retiring early, he returned to Wilmington and entered politics.

Governor of Delaware

Beginning as a Republican Party committeeman, Bacon was elected to three terms as Mayor of Wilmington, first in 1935 and again in 1937 and 1939. Running for Governor of Delaware in 1940, he defeated State Democratic Party Chairman Josiah Marvel, Jr., the Democratic Party candidate, and became the only Republican Party candidate elected to statewide office that year. He was elected again in 1944 when he defeated Isaac J. MacCollum, the Democratic Party candidate. In all, he served two terms as Governor, from January 21 1941 until January 18 1949.

Bacon's terms as governor were marked primarily by the events of World War II and its aftermath. Thirty-three thousand Delaware citizens served in the Armed Forces in that war, and nearly 800 died. Two were awarded the Medal of Honor: Sergeant William L. Nelson of Middletown, and Sergeant James P. Connor of Wilmington. Air bases at New Castle and Dover were taken over by the U.S. Army and became major points of re-entry for returning soldiers when the war was over. Fort du Pont at Delaware City and Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen became major military installations protecting the shipping routes into the Delaware River. U-boats constantly menaced the coast from the near Atlantic, and because gas and other consumer products were mostly transported by ship, the many sinkings caused them to become very scarce. Two things not lacking were vegetables and broiler chickens. "Victory gardens", producing vegetables grew all over Delaware, and the Sussex County chicken business thrived. In fact, federal price controls created such a black market in broilers that the army eventually had to seal off the Delmarva peninsula and seize the chickens to assure an adequate supply to the military.

Through all this, Bacon steadily administered the state government. He was reputed to have been the first governor to work regular 8:30-to-5:00 hours. He managed a budget of about $13 million, and nothing made him prouder than the doubling of the state's cash balance during his tenure. Social changes increasingly challenged the old fashioned "blue laws." When the General Assembly demonstrated reluctance to revise them, the State Attorney General, James R. Morford, ordered some 500 people across the state arrested for various Sabbath offenses. After the arrestees' names appeared in local newspapers, the laws began to change.

Death and legacy

Bacon died March 18 1962, in Wilmington, Delaware, and is buried in the Old Drawyer's Presbyterian Churchyard at Odessa, Delaware.

Bacon has been described "as a simple man with simple tastes. He didn't drink, liked baseball, saw every Shirley Temple movie that came to town, pinched pennies, and perhaps was the right man for the right time when he was governor." [cite book |author=Martin, Roger A. |title=A History of Delaware Through its Governors |publisher= |year= |id=, p. 441.] After the war, the U.S. Government facilities at Fort du Pont, near Delaware City, were deeded to the state and made into a state health care facility. They were named in his honor and became the Governor Bacon Health Center.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
"(sessions while Governor)"
-!Year!Assembly!!Senate Majority!President
"pro tempore"!!House Majority!Speaker
-
1941-1942
111th|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |Harold W. T. Purnell|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |George W. Rhodes
-
1943-1944
112th|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |Clayton A. Bunting|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |Benjamin F. Johnson
-
1945-1946
113th|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |Harry H. Mulholland|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |Chester V. Townsend, Jr.
-
1947-1948
114th|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |George W. Rhodes|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |William T. Chipman
-
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January, and has a four year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
-! Office! Type! Location! Elected! Term began! Term ended! notes
-Party shading/Anti-Administration
Mayor
Executive
Wilmington
1935
January 19 1936
January 15 1938|
-Party shading/Anti-Administration
Mayor
Executive
Wilmington
1937
January 19 1938
January 15 1940|
-Party shading/Anti-Administration
Mayor
Executive
Wilmington
1939
January 19 1940
January 21 1941
resigned
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Governor
Executive
Dover
1940
January 21 1941
January 19 1945|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Governor
Executive
Dover
1944
January 19 1945
January 18 1949|
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
-!Year!Office!!Subject!Party!Votes!%!!Opponent!Party!Votes!%
-
1940
Governor|
Party shading/Republican |Walter W. Bacon
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |70,629
Party shading/Republican |52%|
Party shading/Democratic |Josiah Marvel, Jr.
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |61,237
Party shading/Democratic |45%
-
1944
Governor|
Party shading/Republican |Walter W. Bacon
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |63,829
Party shading/Republican |51%|
Party shading/Democratic |Isaac J. MacCollum
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |62,156
Party shading/Democratic |49%
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Notes

References

*cite book |title=Only in Delaware, Politics and Politicians in the First State |last=Cohen |first=Celia |coauthors= |work= |publisher=Grapevine Publishing |location=Newark, Delaware |pages= |year=2002 |id=
*cite book |title=Democracy in Delaware |last=Hoffecker |first=Carol E. |coauthors= |work= |publisher=Cedar Tree Books |location=Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year=2004 |id=ISBN 1-892142-23-6
*cite book |title=History of Delaware Through its Governors |last=Martin |first=Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher=McClafferty Press |location=Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year=1984 |id=
*cite book |title=Elbert N. Carvel |last=Martin |first=Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher=Delaware Heritage Press |location=Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year=1997 |id=0-924117-08-7
*cite book |title=Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789-1978|last=Sobel |first=Robert |coauthors=J. Racino |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, CT |year=1988 |id=ISBN 0-930466-00-4

=

* [http://www.state.de.us/research/Tour/information/Governors/govs-37.shtml Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery ] "Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover"

External links

* [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov4.htm#bacon Delaware’s Governors ]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7414741 Find a Grave ]
* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=268b224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD National Governors Association Biography ]
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/bacon.html#RKD0HV3S5 Political Graveyard ]

Places with more information

* [http://www.hsd.org/ Historical Society of Delaware ] 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware [phone]
* [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ University of Delaware Library ] 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware [phone]