Augustus Owsley Stanley

Augustus Owsley Stanley (born May 21, 1867 in Shelbyville , Shelby County , Kentucky , † August 12, 1958 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician and governor of Kentucky. He also represented this state in both chambers of Congress .

Early youth and advancement

Augustus Stanley attended, among other things, the Gordon Academy and the Center College , which he graduated in 1889. Afterwards he studied law and earned the necessary money as a teacher. In 1894 he was admitted to the bar, after which he opened a law firm in Flemingsburg . Politically, Stanley supported the Democratic Party . In 1900 he supported the unsuccessful presidential candidacy of William Jennings Bryan and was also one of his electors. Between 1903 and 1915 he was a member of the US House of Representatives in Washington. There he campaigned for the interests of local tobacco farmers. He was an opponent of the large trusts that were fighting for monopoly positions in their respective fields. However, he campaigned for the alcohol industry on the issue of prohibition , which cost him his re-election to Congress in 1914.

Kentucky governor

After leaving Congress, Stanley ran for the governor of Kentucky in 1915. His opponent was the Republican Edwin P. Morrow , with whom he was close friends. Stanley campaigned for an expansion of the road network, an end to forced labor for convicts and a prohibition law at the local level. The election result was very close. Stanley won by 471 votes, representing 49.1% versus 49.0% of the vote - one of the tightest election results in Kentucky. His term began on December 7, 1915. Stanley began to carry out his election promises. Anti-trust measures were initiated during his tenure. A law to protect workers was passed along with a law to curb corruption. There was also a law regulating forced labor for convicts. The question of prohibition continued to be a controversial issue in Kentucky, as in most other states. As recently as 1916, parliament had rejected a corresponding motion. Two years later, the General Assembly passed a Prohibition Act, and in 1919 Kentucky ratified the 18th Amendment , which made alcohol out of the US Constitution. However, this law should not prove its worth. It led to the formation of gangs for the purpose of alcohol smuggling not only in Kentucky but throughout the United States. Organized crime experienced a huge boom, while at the same time the authorities were unable to monitor compliance with the prohibition law. Finally, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was revoked in 1933.

During the tenure of Governor Stanley, the United States entered World War I in April 1917 . A proposal to ban German lessons in public schools failed because of the governor's veto. Towards the end of his tenure, a committee was formed to revise the country's tax laws. When in 1918 the post of US Senator for Kentucky was vacated by the death of the incumbent Ollie Murray James , Stanley ran successfully for this office. As a result, he resigned on May 19, 1919 from the office of governor. Lieutenant Governor James D. Black then ended his remaining term through December of that year.

Further career and death

Stanley served as the Democratic Senator from Kentucky from May 19, 1919 to March 3, 1925. At that time the Republicans had a clear majority there and therefore his influence was rather small. In the elections of 1924 he lost his seat to the Republican Frederic M. Sackett . Stanley then resumed his legal practice. In 1930 he was appointed to the International Joint Commission by US President Herbert Hoover . This commission dealt with the relationship between the USA and Canada . Between 1933 and 1954 Stanley was chairman of this commission. He died in Washington on August 12, 1958. Stanley was married to Sue Soaper, with whom he had three children. The sound engineer Owsley Stanley was his grandson.

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personal data
SURNAME	Stanley, Augustus Owsley
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	May 21, 1867
PLACE OF BIRTH	Shelbyville , Kentucky
DATE OF DEATH	August 12, 1958
Place of death	Washington, DC