Robert D. Holmes

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Robert D. Holmes

Robert Denison Holmes (* 11. May 1909 in Canisteo , Steuben County , New York ; †  6. June 1976 in Seaside , Oregon ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party and from 1957 to 1959 the 28th Governor of the State of Oregon.

Early years and political advancement

Robert Holmes attended local schools in his homeland. After moving to Oregon, he worked in the newspaper business for a short time. He then studied at the University of Oregon until 1932 . Holmes settled in Clatsop County , where he got into the radio and advertising business. Between 1943 and 1957 he was the manager of a radio station called "KAST". He was also a member of the school board in his home district in the 1940s.

Originally, Holmes was a member of the Republican Party . But he switched to the Democrats early on, for whom he was then elected to the Oregon Senate in 1948 . In the Senate, he worked to improve education policy in Oregon. Contrary to the conservative trend of those days, he was rather liberal and spoke out against an oath of allegiance for teachers. He was also against discrimination and for fair working conditions. In 1956, he won the Democratic internal primary election for governor after incumbent Paul L. Patterson passed away. In the election he beat Elmo Smith , the President of the Senate, who had held the post provisionally until the election.

Governor of Oregon

Robert Holmes took up his new office on January 14, 1957. During his time as governor, he tried to make the government of Oregon more efficient and closer to the people. He supported the expansion of state energy providers and was an opponent of the death penalty . In contrast to his predecessors in office, Holmes fell back on the reserves of the state in order to achieve educational and socio-political goals. In 1958 he lost the regular gubernatorial election to Mark Hatfield , a Republican. So he resigned on January 12, 1959 from his office.

After his political career, he ran a television show and was a member of the Oregon State University Planning Board. He died in 1976. Robert Holmes was married to Marie Hoy, with whom he had two children.

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personal data
SURNAME Holmes, Robert D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Holmes, Robert Denison
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 11, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Canisteo , New York
DATE OF DEATH June 6, 1976
Place of death Seaside , Oregon