Lyman U. Humphrey

Lyman Underwood Humphrey (born July 25, 1844 in New Baltimore , Ohio , † September 12, 1915 in Independence , Kansas ) was an American politician and from 1889 to 1893 the eleventh governor of the state of Kansas.

Early years and political advancement

Lyman Humphrey attended local schools in his home country. When the civil war broke out, he dropped out of high school to join the army. During the war he took part in numerous battles. Among other things, he was also involved in the conquest of Atlanta in Georgia and the advance of the Union through the south under General William T. Sherman . He also suffered several wounds in the process. In July 1865 he was discharged from the army with honor. Then he continued his training. He attended Mount Union College and studied law at the University of Michigan . In 1868 he was admitted to the bar. After moving to Shelby County , Missouri , he became a teacher and editor of a newspaper there. In 1871 he came to Independence, Kansas, where he founded the Independence Tribune newspaper. Two years later he also opened a law firm.

Humphrey was a member of the Republican Party . His political career began in 1876 when he was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives . After the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Melville J. Salter in 1877, Humphrey was elected to this office. In the elections of 1878 he was confirmed in this office. So he was from 1877 to 1881 Lieutenant Governor ( Lieutenant Governor ) of Kansas. After a brief interlude as a judge, Humphrey was elected to the State Senate in 1884 and became its President. He held this mandate until 1889. His party nominated him for the gubernatorial election of 1888 as their candidate.

Kansas Governor

After the successful election, Humphrey was able to take up his new office on January 14, 1889. After his re-election in 1890, he was able to complete a four-year term. During this time there was domestic political unrest over the existing prohibition law in Kansas, which remained in force. At that time the Populist Party emerged from the Farmers' Alliance , which campaigned for social issues and was very popular in Kansas at the time. In 1890 the new party won a majority in the state parliament. It was then that the eight-hour day was introduced for all public sector employees in Kansas. At the same time, the first Monday in September of each year as Labor Day was declared a public holiday. The population of Kansas grew rapidly. Governor Humphrey also promoted his state's agriculture.

After his tenure ended, Humphrey returned to practice as a lawyer. An attempt to be elected to Congress had failed in 1892. Lyman Humphrey died in September 1915. He was buried in Independence. Humphrey was married to Amanda Leonard, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• Lyman Humphrey in the National Governors Association (English)
• Biography at the Kansas Historical Society (English)
• Lyman U. Humphrey in the database of Find a Grave (English)