Charles Brantley Aycock

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Charles Brantley Aycock

Charles Brantley Aycock (born November 1, 1859 in Fremont , Wayne County , North Carolina , †  April 4, 1912 in Birmingham , Alabama ) was an American lawyer and politician and the 50th  governor of the state of North Carolina.

Early years and political advancement

Charles Aycock attended the Wilson Collegiate Institute and Kingston Collegiate Institute and then studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . There he graduated in 1880. After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he opened a law firm in Goldsboro . He also developed a passion for education. For some time he worked as a teacher and school councilor in Wayne County. He was also the director of a school for African American.

Aycock belonged to the Democratic Party . On their behalf, he was an elector for Grover Cleveland in the presidential elections of 1888 and 1892 . Between 1893 and 1898 he was the successor to Charles A. Cooke federal prosecutor for the eastern district of North Carolina. Aycock became very popular during those years and his party nominated him for governor in 1900. He was often asked to speak, he advocated and supported the Wilmington massacre of 1898. He is also said to have been a member of the Red Shirts . His nomination was unopposed.

North Carolina Governor

After his election victory, he began his four-year term on January 15, 1901. As governor, as expected, he devoted himself to education policy. In this area he made great contributions. He got the honorary name "Education Governor". Teachers' salaries were increased to make the job more attractive. School hours were extended and hundreds of new schools were built. Most, however, were reserved for white children. Nevertheless, new schools were built for black children too. Racial segregation in North Carolina was not overcome until the mid-20th century. Aycock also improved child labor laws and advocated alcohol prohibition . Another law in its day concerned better control of elections against fraud and election fraud. New laws were also passed against lynching, because at that time in the southern United States, and thus also in North Carolina, people were often simply hanged without trial. In this context one must also mention the activities of the Ku Klux Klan , which also used such methods.

Retirement

After his tenure ended on January 11, 1905, Aycock turned back to his law firm. But he never lost sight of politics. He continued to work to improve the education system. In 1911 he announced his candidacy for a seat in the US Senate . He died of a heart attack while speaking to the Alabama Education Commission before the election. Charles Aycock was married twice and had a total of ten children.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1898 Wilmington race riot report - Page 81. Retrieved August 4, 2020 (English).
  2. ↑ 1898 Wilmington race riot report - Page 88. Accessed August 4, 2020 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Aycock, Charles Brantley
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 1, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH near Fremont , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH April 4, 1912
Place of death Birmingham , Alabama