John St. John

John Pierce St. John (born February 25, 1833 in Brookville , Franklin County , Indiana , † August 31, 1916 in Olathe , Kansas ) was an American politician and from 1879 to 1883 the eighth governor of the state of Kansas.

Early years and political advancement

John St. John grew up on his father's farm in Indiana, where he received only a modest education. In 1852 he left Indiana for California . There he worked in various professions. In the years 1853 to 1854 he took part in Indian fights in northern California and southern Oregon . He was wounded twice in the process. He then traveled to South and Central America. In 1859 he settled in Illinois , where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1860. During the civil war he fought in the Union army and rose to lieutenant colonel by the end of the war. After the war, St. John worked as a lawyer. He moved from Illinois to Independence , Missouri . From there he moved to Olathe, Kansas, in 1869. There he ran a joint law firm with a partner. This practice lasted until 1875. Kansas also began its political rise. In 1873 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1878 he was nominated by the Republican Party as a candidate for the gubernatorial election.

Kansas Governor

After winning the election, St. John took up his new office on January 13, 1879. After a successful re-election in 1880, he was able to serve as governor for a total of four years. During his tenure, a prohibition law was passed in 1881 that banned the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages in Kansas. At that time, many ex-black slaves poured into Kansas from the southern states . Most of them were poor, homeless people who were looking for a new existence. To facilitate their integration in Kansas, a separate institution ( Freedman's State Central Association ) was founded. The governor presided over this institution. This also required a financial outlay, but it ultimately paid off. Many of these immigrants formed the town of Nicodemus in Graham County , and others spread out across the state. In the four years of his administration, the governor managed to make Kansas a progressive state. Presidents Grant and Hayes praised the school system and political institutions in Kansas. Even so, St. John failed to be elected to a third term in 1882. He was defeated by the Democrat George Washington Glick .

Further life

After the end of his tenure, St. John moved from the Republicans to the Prohibition Party . The reason was the refusal of the Republicans at the federal party convention to campaign for prohibition at the federal level. His new party nominated him for the presidential election in 1884 . There he had no chance against the candidates of the Republicans and Democrats. In this election the Democrat Grover Cleveland was elected as the new president. In 1896 he fell out with the Prohibition Party and joined the politically insignificant People's Party . John St. John died in the summer of 1916. He was married to Susan J. Parker, with whom he had three children.

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personal data
SURNAME	St. John, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	St. John, John Pierce (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	February 25, 1833
PLACE OF BIRTH	Brookville , Indiana
DATE OF DEATH	August 31, 1916
Place of death	Olathe , Kansas