Bert T. Combs

Bertram Thomas Combs (born August 13, 1911 in Manchester , Clay County , Kentucky , † December 4, 1991 in Powell County , Kentucky) was an American politician and governor of the state of Kentucky.

Lawyer and naval officer

Bert Combs received his education from Cumberland University and the University of Kentucky . There he studied law until 1937. He then opened a law firm in Manchester, which he later moved to Prestonsburg . During the Second World War he served as a captain under General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific region. After the war, he chaired a commission of inquiry in the Philippines that investigated Japanese war crimes . He also took part in the trials of Japanese war criminals.

Political rise

After the war he began a legal career in the public service. Between 1951 and 1955 he served on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. In 1955, he ran for the Democratic Party's nomination for governor. At the time the party was split into two opposing camps. Both sides were led by previous governors. Combs belonged to Earle Clements' faction . The other side was led by Albert Chandler . Chandler succeeded in asserting himself in the primary elections and subsequently also being elected governor for the second time after 1935. Four years later, Combs was able to assert himself within the party against Chandler's lieutenant governor and preferred candidate Harry Lee Waterfield . The actual election on November 3, 1959, he won with 60.6% of the vote against the Republican John M. Robsion . His four-year term began on December 8, 1959 and ended on December 10, 1963. During this time, the education system was promoted and teachers' salaries increased. In the public service, a performance principle was introduced ( merit system ), which is still valid today. The state's own nature parks were expanded. At the same time, the road network was expanded and improved. Racial equality was also implemented in the public service. For the first time in Kentucky, there was a human rights commission dealing with minority issues. VAT was also increased.

Further career and death

The Kentucky constitution at the time did not allow two consecutive terms for a governor. For this reason, Combs could not run for direct re-election in 1963. Between 1967 and 1970 he was a judge at the Federal Court of Appeals . for the sixth court district. In 1971 he applied again for the office of governor. However, he did not succeed in being nominated by his party. Then he returned to his legal practice. In 1989 he won a major victory in a process to finance the education system. This victory led to a 1990 reform of the relevant law ( Kentucky Education Reform Act ) and paved the way for Kentucky's educational policy to advance. Combs died on December 4, 1991, at the age of 80, after drowning in flood in his car. He was married twice and had two children in total.

Web links

• Bert Combs in the National Governors Association (English)
• Bert T. Combs in the database of Find a Grave (English)