Oakley C. Curtis

Oakley Chester Curtis, 1910

Oakley Chester Curtis (born March 29, 1865 in Portland , Maine , † February 22, 1924 in Falmouth , Maine) was an American politician and governor of the state of Maine from 1915 to 1917 .

Early years and political advancement

Oakley Curtis attended local schools in his home country. After school he worked in banking. He was also president of several companies such as the Casco Mercantile Trust Company and the US Trust Company . His political career began in 1901 when he was elected to the Portland City Council for one year. Between 1903 and 1904 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Maine ; from 1905 to 1908 he was a member of the State Senate . Then he became mayor of Portland. He held this office between 1911 and 1914.

Governor of Maine

In 1914 he was elected as the candidate of his Democratic Party for the new governor of Maine, with 44:42 percent of the vote against the Republican incumbent William T. Haines . He began his two-year term on January 6, 1915. During this time Maine improved laws regulating child and women's labor. Mobile school libraries have been introduced in the school system. Even so, Curtis failed to be re-elected in 1916.

After the end of his tenure on January 3, 1917, Curtis withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his private interests. He died in Falmouth on February 22, 1924. Oakley Curtis was married to Edith L. Hamilton. They had five children together.

Web links

• Oakley Curtis in the National Governors Association (English)
• The Political Graveyard (English)
• Oakley C. Curtis in the database of Find a Grave (English)