Aretas B. Fleming

Aretas Brooks Fleming (born October 15, 1839 in Fairmont , Marion County , Virginia , † October 13, 1923 ) was an American politician and from 1890 to 1893 the eighth governor of the state of West Virginia .

Early years and political advancement

Born and raised in what is now West Virginia, Aretas Fleming studied law at the University of Virginia . After passing his exams and being admitted to the bar, he opened a law firm in Fairmont. In 1863 he became a Marion County attorney. Fleming served in the West Virginia House of Representatives from 1872 to 1875 ; from 1878 to 1888 he was district judge. During this time he became an adviser to the US Senator and tycoon Johnson N. Camden . In 1888, Fleming was run by the Democratic Party as a candidate for gubernatorial elections. These elections should go down in the history of the state.

Controversial gubernatorial election

Fleming and his Republican competitor Nathan Goff only separated about 100 votes. The defeated Fleming then challenged the election in some districts and considered himself the new governor. Since no decision had been made by the regular expiration of the term of office of predecessor Emanuel W. Wilson , Fleming and Goff had their respective supporters sworn in as governors. To make matters even more complicated, Senate President Robert S. Carr, in his capacity as representative of the governor, also claimed this office until the outcome of the election was clarified. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that incumbent Governor Wilson should remain in office until the outcome of the election was resolved. In January 1890, the democratic majority in the state parliament declared their candidate Fleming the election winner, who was then able to take office on February 5, 1890. On that day, Wilson resigned from office.

West Virginia Governor

Due to the controversial election, one year of his legislative term had already passed by the time he took office. This meant that Fleming was only able to officiate for just under three years until its regular end on March 4, 1893. A State Bureau of Labor was established during his tenure . One improvement in the voting system was the introduction of standardized ballot papers. Fleming campaigned for the expansion of the coal industry. Otherwise he was attacked by the republican opposition because of the events surrounding his election; many of his proposals were simply rejected, paralyzing his government.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Fleming retired to Fairmont, where he worked as a lawyer. He later served as President of the West Virginia Board of Trade . Aretas Fleming died in October 1923. He was married to Carrie M. Watson, with whom he had four children.

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personal data
SURNAME	Fleming, Aretas B.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Fleming, Aretas Brooks (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 15, 1839
PLACE OF BIRTH	Fairmont , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH	October 13, 1923
Place of death	Fairmont , West Virginia