James BA Robertson

James BA Robertson (1920)

James Brooks Ayers Robertson (born March 15, 1871 in Keokuk County , Iowa , † March 7, 1938 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma ) was an American politician and from 1919 to 1923 the fourth governor of the state of Oklahoma.

Early years and political advancement

James Robertson attended local schools in his home country. After that he became a teacher himself. In 1893 he moved from Iowa to the Oklahoma Territory . There, too, he initially worked as a teacher. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1898.

Between 1900 and 1902 Robertson was a district attorney in Lincoln County . He then worked as a lawyer. He was a member of the Democratic Party and a delegate to their federal party conventions in 1908 and 1920. In 1909 and 1910 he was a judge in the 10th Judicial District of Oklahoma. In 1914, he unsuccessfully applied for the office of governor. Four years later he managed to be elected as the new governor of his state, where he prevailed against the Republican Horace G. McKeever with 54:43 percent of the vote .

Governor of Oklahoma

Robertson took up his new office on January 13, 1919. During his tenure, the road network was expanded. At that time, 1,300 miles of new highways were built. During this time the 18th and 19th amendments to the US Constitution were ratified, which enshrined the prohibition law and the right to vote for women. At that time, the Ku Klux Klan also regained strength in Oklahoma . In Tulsa there were race riots ; With the help of the National Guard, the governor put down a strike by coal miners. In 1922 Robertson was charged with bribery but acquitted by a court.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, he returned to work as a lawyer. In 1930 he applied again unsuccessfully for the office of governor. In 1932 he was one of the electors for Franklin D. Roosevelt and between 1935 and 1938 he was an advisor to a government commission for the state of Oklahoma. James Robertson died in March 1938. He was married twice and had two children.

Web links

• James Robertson in the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Oklahoma (English)
• James BA Robertson in the database of Find a Grave (English)