Oliver Max Gardner

Oliver Max Gardner (born March 22, 1882 in Shelby , North Carolina , † February 6, 1947 on the way to England) was an American politician, he was the 57th governor of North Carolina.

Early years and political advancement

Oliver Gardner attended North Carolina State College until 1903 and then studied law at the University of North Carolina . After graduating and admitted to the bar, he practiced in his hometown of Shelby. In 1908 he founded the so-called North Carolina Young Men's Democratic Club, a kind of youth organization of the Democratic Party in North Carolina. In 1911 and 1915 he was elected to the Senate of his country, and in 1915 he even became president of this body. Between 1917 and 1921 he was under Governor Thomas Bickett the Lieutenant Governor . In the gubernatorial elections of 1920 he was eliminated in the primaries against Cameron Morrison . In 1924 he was head of the North Carolina Democratic delegation to the party's federal convention.

North Carolina Governor

In 1928 he successfully ran for governor. He took up his new office on January 11, 1929 and held it until January 5, 1933. His goal was to further reduce national debt. In addition, a tax commission has been set up. He campaigned for the expansion of the highways and founded the Highway Patrol. He reorganized the administrative apparatus of the government and promoted the education system. In his day, secret elections were introduced into North Carolina by law. However, his term of office was overshadowed by the great global economic depression as a result of the New York stock market crash of October 1929. The governor launched an aid program that was primarily intended to benefit the farmers.

Further career

After his tenure ended, he moved to Washington, DC , where he worked as a lawyer. In 1944 was appointed to a committee to promote the war effort (War Mobilization). In 1946 he was US Treasury Secretary for a short time before being named American Ambassador to Great Britain. However, he could no longer take up this post because he died of a stroke on the way to England.

Oliver Gardner was married to Fay Lamar Webb. The couple had four children.

literature

Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, Conn. 1978, 4 volumes

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Gardner, Oliver Max
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician, governor of North Carolina (1929–1933)
DATE OF BIRTH	March 22, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH	Shelby , North Carolina , United States
DATE OF DEATH	February 6, 1947
Place of death	between United States and Great Britain