Robert Hayes Gore

Robert Hayes Gore (born May 24, 1886 in Knottsville , Daviess County , Kentucky , † December 26, 1972 in Fort Lauderdale , Broward County , Florida ) was a politician in the US state of Florida, newspaper editor and from July 1933 to January 1934 11 civil governor of Puerto Rico .

Robert Hayes Gore was born in Knottsville, Kentucky and became a journalist. He soon rose to be the editor of several newspapers in Evansville , Indiana and Terre Haute , Indiana. During his tenure as editor of the Terre Haute Post, Gore had the idea to include $ 1000 insurance with new subscriptions to the newspaper. After partnering with an insurer, he rolled out the program nationwide. Over the course of a year, Gore became very wealthy, starting a publishing company in Terre Haute and an insurance agency in Chicago. In Terre Haute he also met Franklin D. Roosevelt , who was running for the office of Vice President of the USA at the time. This chance encounter eventually led to his appointment as governor of Puerto Rico. The Washington Post reported that this surprising appointment in 1933 was arguably rooted in Gore's support for Roosevelt's 1932 campaign. In fact, he is mentioned in his biography as a key figure in Roosevelt's campaign.

In his inaugural address as governor on July 1, 1933, he explained the three pillars on which he wanted to build his term of office. He spoke of a possible statehood in Puerto Rico, that is, of the abolition of the protectorate , spoke out against birth control and stated that he wanted to legalize cockfighting in order to stimulate tourism. He even wanted to have an annual "cockfighting carnival" celebrated in order to attract mainland tourists to the island. Instead of birth control, he wanted to enable Puerto Ricans in overcrowded areas to relocate to Florida. He also advocated stronger ties to Chicago, his adopted home, and wanted to cut government spending.

After serving as governor, he served as an alternate member of the Democratic National Convention in 1944.

literature

• John W. Leonard, Albert Nelson Marquis: Who's who in Chicago and Illinois. Volume 6. AN Marquis Co., Chicago, Ill., 1936, p. 385.
• Junius Elmore Dovell: Florida: Historic, Dramatic, Contemporary. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1952, p. 835.
• Who's who in the South and Southwest: 1971-1972. Volume 12 Marquis Who's Who, Inc, Chicago, Ill., 1971, p. 236.

Web links

• Robert Hayes Gore in the database of Find a Grave (English)