Robert Leroy Cochran

Robert L. Cochran

Robert Leroy Cochran (born January 28, 1886 in Avoca , Cass County , Nebraska , †  February 23, 1963 ) was an American politician and between 1935 and 1941 the 25th governor of the state of Nebraska.

Early years and political advancement

Robert Cochran attended the University of Nebraska until 1910 , where he studied engineering. In 1911 he became the head of the Lincoln County Land Survey . In 1915 he was appointed Bridge Inspector to oversee all bridge structures in Nebraska. In 1917 he was deputy minister for building in his state. During the First World War he served as a captain in the US Army .

After the war, Cochran worked at the Ministry of Public Affairs as a building officer between 1919 and 1922. Between 1923 and 1934 he was Minister of Construction of Nebraska ( State Engineer ). In November 1934 he was elected as the Democratic Party candidate for the new governor of Nebraska, with 51:48 percent of the vote against the Republican Dwight Griswold .

Governor of Nebraska

Cochran took up his new office on January 3, 1935. After two re-elections in 1936 and 1938, he was able to exercise it for a total of six years. Cochran's term of office coincided with the time when the consequences of the global economic crisis were gradually being overcome with the help of the New Deal policy of the federal government under President Franklin D. Roosevelt . A first social security program was launched during his reign. This also included unemployment insurance. In this way, citizens should better protect themselves against the consequences of economic crises such as B. Unemployment can be protected. Cochran was also a member of several governors' associations.

Further life

In 1940, Cochran ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . During World War II he served as Colonel in command of Fort Leonard Wood , Missouri . After the war he was a member of the American Aid Committee for Greece . In 1959 he served again as Minister of Construction in Nebraska. Robert Cochran died on February 23, 1963. He was married to Aileen Gantt, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• Robert Cochran in the National Governors Association (English)
• Robert Leroy Cochran in the database of Find a Grave (English)