Robert Docking

Robert Blackwell Docking (born October 9, 1925 in Kansas City , Missouri , † October 8, 1983 in Arkansas City , Kansas ) was an American politician and from 1967 to 1975 the 38th  governor of the state of Kansas.

Early years

Robert Docking was the son of George Docking , who served as governor of Kansas from 1957 to 1961. He attended the University of Kansas until 1948 and then the University of Wisconsin , where he studied banking. During the Second World War he served in the US Army Air Corps . Until 1951 he was a first lieutenant in the newly founded US Air Force as a reservist. After the war, Docking moved to Arkansas City, where he became a successful banker and at times also the city's mayor.

Political career

Like his father, Robert Docking was a member of the Democratic Party . This nominated him in 1966 as their candidate for the gubernatorial election. After the election won against the Republican incumbent William H. Avery , he was able to take up his new office on January 9, 1967. He would succeed as the first and only governor of Kansas to complete four two-year terms. This gave him a total term of eight years. During his last term in office, the constitution was amended to extend a governor's term from two to four years and only allow the governor to be elected twice. This leaves Docking the only Kansas governor to have had four consecutive terms, even if those terms were only two-year terms.

In the eight years of his administration very little happened domestically in Kansas, apart from the aforementioned constitutional amendment. It is worth mentioning that Docking campaigned for the farmers and smaller business people and promoted environmental protection. It was the time when the Vietnam War and demonstrations against it reached their climax. At the end of his reign, the end of this war, in which soldiers from Kansas were also deployed, became apparent. It was also the time of the civil rights movement in the United States. The impact on Kansas was small compared to other states, especially in the south. Governor Docking chaired the Midwestern Governors' Conference.

Another résumé

After his tenure ended, Docking returned to Arkansas City, where he returned to work as a banker. He died there on October 8, 1983, on the eve of his 58th birthday. He was buried in Kansas City . Robert Docking was married to Meredith Gear, with whom he had two children. His son Thomas was later under Governor John W. Carlin as Vice Governor his deputy and then unsuccessful candidate for the office of governor. The Docking family is still influential in Kansas today and owns the bank in Arkansas City.

Web links

• Robert Docking in the National Governors Association (English)
• Biography at the Kansas Historical Society (English)
• Robert Docking in the database of Find a Grave (English)