Theodore McKeldin

Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin (born November 20, 1900 in Baltimore , Maryland , †  August 10, 1974 ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and governor of the state of Maryland from 1951 to 1959 .

Early years and political advancement

After elementary school, McKeldin attended Baltimore City College . He then studied law at the University of Maryland until 1925 . He then took a few courses in economics at Johns Hopkins University . Between 1927 and 1931 he was an executive secretary in the service of the mayor of Baltimore. In 1939 he unsuccessfully applied for the office of mayor of that city. Just as unsuccessful was his candidacy for governor of Maryland in 1942, when he was defeated by incumbent Herbert O'Conor .

He was mayor of Baltimore between 1943 and 1947. During this time, the city's current international airport was built. However, there were also problems in his city at the time, such as B. Racial prejudice and riots resulting from it. In 1946, McKeldin ran again for governor. In these elections he was defeated by William Preston Lane . Four years later there was another duel between Lane and McKeldin in the gubernatorial elections. This time McKeldin won one of the greatest electoral victories in Maryland history.

Governor of maryland

Theodore McKeldin took up his new office on January 10, 1951. After re-election in 1954, he was able to remain in office until January 14, 1959. During his time, the state's road network was further expanded. It was considered one of the best in the United States at the time. This expansion program also included the construction of important motorway connections. New government buildings were built in both Annapolis and Baltimore. A reformatory for mentally disturbed criminals was built and an administrative organization commission was created. McKeldin was also one of the leading Republicans on the East Coast . In 1952 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago , where he gave the nomination speech for General Dwight D. Eisenhower , who was named a presidential candidate at that convention.

From 1 June 1956, sparked gas chamber in Maryland from a death sentence hanging. Theodore McKeldin had recently signed a corresponding law.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, McKeldin initially worked as a lawyer. He was then again Mayor of Baltimore from 1963 to 1967. Then he was first appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a commission for the clarification of claims of the Native American people ( Indian Claims Commission ) and then sent to South Vietnam , where he acted as an election observer in 1967. Theodore McKeldin died in August 1974. He had two children with his wife Honolulu Manzer.

Web links

• Theodore McKeldin in the National Governors Association (English)
• Theodore McKeldin in the database of Find a Grave (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-11-02/news/1993306212_1_gas-chamber-new-chamber-thanos Baltimore Sun on November 2, 1993: "A 'neater' way to kill"; Introduction of the gas chamber in Maryland; accessed on May 7, 2018