Walter A. Huxman

Walter Augustus Huxman (born February 16, 1887 in Reno County , Kansas , †  June 26, 1972 in Topeka , Kansas) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1937 to 1939 the 27th governor of the state of Kansas.

Early years and political advancement

Walter Huxman attended Emporia State College and the University of Kansas . There he made his law exam in 1914. Between 1915 and 1919, he was assistant district attorney in Reno County; and from 1919 and 1921 he served as Hutchinson City Trial Attorney . In 1928, Huxman tried unsuccessfully for the position of judge on the Kansas Supreme Court. Between 1931 and 1932 he was a member of the tax commission of that state. Huxman was a member of the Democratic Party and chairman of its state party convention in 1936. At this convention he was nominated as a candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election, which he won with 51.1 percent of the vote against Republican Will G. West.

Governor and federal judge

After his successful election, Huxman was able to take up his new office on January 11, 1937. During his tenure, the state recovered from the Great Depression . Notable events during his reign included the introduction of a uniform traffic law on highways, the payment of a bonus to veterans of the First World War, the establishment of a new textbook commission, an amendment to the law on the issuing of driving licenses and the relaxation of the prohibition law. Prohibition was abolished in the federal government in 1933; however, the federal states could proceed independently on this issue.

After not being re-elected in 1938, Huxman resigned on January 9, 1939. Between 1939 and 1962 he was a judge at the Federal Court of Appeal for the tenth district. Then he retired from public life. Walter Huxman died in June 1972. He was married to Eula Biggs.

Web links

• Walter Huxman in the National Governors Association (English)
• Kansas Historical Society (English)
• Walter A. Huxman in the database of Find a Grave (English)