Augustus E. Willson

Infobox Governor
honorific-prefix =
name = Augustus E. Willson
honorific-suffix =


order = 36^th
office = Governor of Kentucky
term_start = December 10 1907
term_end = December 12 1911
lieutenant = William H. Cox
predecessor = J. C. W. Beckham
successor = James B. McCreary
birth_date = October 13 1846
birth_place = Maysville, Kentucky
death_date = death date and age|1931|08|24|1846|10|13
death_place = Louisville, Kentucky
nationality =
party = Republican
spouse = Mary Elizabeth Ekinref|wife| [a]
relations = Brother of Forceythe Willson
children =
residence =
alma_mater = Harvard University
occupation =
profession = Lawyer
religion = Presbyterian


website =
footnotes =

Augustus Everett Willson (October 13 1846 – August 24 1931) was the thirty-sixth Governor of Kentucky. Orphaned at the age of twelve, Willson went to live with relatives in New England. This move exposed him to such literary masters as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell, who were associates of his older brother, poet Forceythe Willson. He was also afforded the opportunity to attend Harvard University, where he earned an A.B. in 1869.

Another move found Willson living with future Speaker of the House Michael C. Kerr. Kerr's letter of introduction helped Willson secure a position at the law firm of future Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan. Willson and Harlan became lifelong friends, and Willson's association with Harlan deepened his support of the Republican Party.

A Republican in a primarily Democratic state, Willson suffered several defeats for public office, but was elected governor of Kentucky on his second attempt. The division of the Democratic Party on the issue of alcohol sales helped Willson secure the office, but the issue also divided the General Assembly and assured that few other legislative matters were considered during his term. He further alienated the Assembly by pardoning several individuals involved in the assassination of Democratic governor William Goebel and declaring martial law as a means of quelling the violence of the Black Patch War. Following his largely unproductive tenure in office, Willson retired to Louisville, where he died in 1931.

Early life

Augustus Willson was born on October 13 1846 in Maysville, Kentucky, the son of Hiram and Ann Colvin (Ennis) Willson. A year following his birth, his father moved the family to Covington. In 1852, the family moved again, this time to New Albany, Indiana. In 1856, Willson's mother died. Three years later, his father also died, leaving him an orphan at the age of twelve. He and his younger sister went to live with their grandmother in Allegany County, New York. Willson then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to live with his brother Forceythe, a poet of some renown. There, he was exposed to men of letters such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell.Powell, p. 80] Appleton, p. 141]

Willson attended Alfred Academy in New York and enrolled at Harvard University in 1865. His brother Forceythe became terminally ill during Willson's sophomore year, and he took a brief hiatus from his studies to care for him."American National Biography"] Following Forceythe's death, Willson resumed his studies, and received an A.B. in 1869. After graduation, he briefly studied at Harvard Law School and continued his studies in the law firm of Lothrop, Bishop, and Lincoln in Boston. He returned to New Albany in 1870, where he lived with Indiana congressman Michael C. Kerr and was admitted to the bar. In 1874, Kerr wrote a letter of introduction for Willson when he applied for position in the law firm of John Marshall Harlan. Harlan described Willson as "one of the brightest young fellows I ever met." The two became lifelong friends, and Willson's association with Harlan strengthened his ties to the Republican Party. Willson became a junior partner in Harlan's firm, continuing there until Harlan's appointment as a Supreme Court justice.

On July 23 1877, Willson married Mary Elizabeth Ekin;ref|wife| [a] their only child died as an infant.

Political career

Willson's political career began when was he appointed chief clerk of the U.S. Treasury Department under Benjamin Bristow, serving from December 1875 to August 1876. A Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, Willson suffered several defeats in his canvasses for public office, his 1879 loss in an election for a seat in the Kentucky Senate marked the first in a string of political defeats. He failed in bids to represent Kentucky's Fifth District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1884, 1886, 1888, and 1892.Harrison, p. 959] He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884, 1888, 1892, 1904, 1908, and 1916.NGA Bio]

In 1903, Willson unsuccessfully challenged M. B. Belknap for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Belknap was handily defeated by Democrat J. C. W. Beckham in the general election, and in 1907 Willson was chosen as the Republican candidate for governor. The primary campaign issues were temperance legislation and alleged scandals during the administration of William O. Bradley, Kentucky's first Republican governor. Both Willson and his Democratic opponent, State Auditor Samuel Wilber Hager, favored the local option solution for the liquor question. Strong support from Jefferson County voters (particularly the city of Louisville) and infighting within the Democratic Party carried Willson to an 8,000 vote victory. (Scattered votes were also cast for minor party candidates.) He was sworn in on December 10 1907.

Willson drew the ire of the Democratic General Assembly almost immediately by issuing pardons for several individuals convicted of complicity in the assassination of Governor William Goebel. These included former Republican governor William S. Taylor and Taylor's Secretary of State, Caleb Powers. He further alienated the legislature by deploying the National Guard and declaring martial law in several western (and predominantly Democratic) counties in response to the Black Patch War.

The Democratic Party remained divided on the issue of alcohol sales. In 1908, the Kentucky House passed a local option law, but it was blocked in the Senate. The issue was also a factor in the election to decide which of two former governors to send to the U.S. Senator that year. After twenty-eight ballots, four Democrats abandoned their party's "dry" candidate (Beckham) and voted for the Republicans' "wet" candidate (Bradley). Due to its preoccupation with the liquor issue, the Assembly scarcely considered other legislation such as tax reform and redistricting during Willson's term. Most of the governor's suggestions were summarily ignored.Appleton, p. 144] Nationally, he enjoyed somewhat higher esteem, serving as chair of the National Governors' Conference in 1908 and 1910.

Later life

Following his term as governor, Willson returned to his legal practice in Louisville. From 1910 to 1919, he served on the Harvard University Board of Overseers. He also lost a bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate to former governor J. C. W. Beckham in 1914. He died on August 24 1931, and is buried in the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

References

*cite web |url=http://www.public.asu.edu/~icprv/courses/hst315/secret315/biographies/Prog/ky.gov.prog..txt |title=American National Biography Online: Willson, Augustus Everett |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2000 |format=TXT |accessdate=2007-09-05
*cite book |last=Appleton, Jr. |first=Thomas H. |chapter=Augustus Everett Willson |title="Kentucky's Governors" |editor=Lowell Hayes Harrison |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |year=2004 |isbn=0813123267
*cite book |last=Harrison |first=Lowell H. |authorlink=Lowell H. Harrison |chapter=Willson, Augustus Everett |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title="The Kentucky Encyclopedia" |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0813117720
*cite web |url=http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=d64bb60771f66010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD |title=Kentucky Governor Augustus Everett Willson |publisher=National Governors Association |accessdate=2007-09-04
*cite book |last=Powell |first=Robert A. |title="Kentucky Governors" |publisher=Bluegrass Printing Company |location=Danville, Kentucky |year=1976 |id=OCLC|2690774

Footnotes

Appleton and the National Governors Association list the name as "Ekin." Powell suggests "Elkin," while Harrison lists "Ekins."

External links

* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/jefferson/willson.ae.txt Biography from Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky]

ee also

*History of Kentucky