Walter M. Pierce

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Walter Pierce

Walter Marcus Pierce (born May 30, 1861 in Morris , Grundy County , Illinois , † March 27, 1954 in Salem , Oregon ) was an American politician and the 17th Governor of Oregon from 1923 to 1927  .

Early years

Walter Pierce began working as a teacher at the age of 17, although he had only attended elementary school himself. In 1883 he made his way to the western United States. He finally came to Oregon via Colorado , where he settled in Milton in the northeast of the state. There he worked again in the school sector. First he was a teacher and between 1886 and 1890 School Council in Umatilla County . Between 1890 and 1894 he was a district administrator in his county ( County Clerk ). During this time he had made enough money to improve his own education. To this end, he moved to Illinois, where he studied law at Northwestern University . There he graduated in 1896.

Rise in Oregon

After studying law, he returned to Oregon, where he opened a successful law firm in Pendleton . He was also involved in various other businesses. Between 1896 and 1902, he ran the Grande Ronde Electric Company , a local electricity company, and owned a large ranch where he raised Hereford cattle. Between 1899 and 1903 he was again district administrator and from 1903 to 1907 he was a member of the Oregon Senate . As a strict supporter of the prohibition movement, he tried in vain to enforce an alcohol ban. Pierce was also involved in founding the Oregon Farmer's Union. He became president of the Taxpayer's League and served on the board of directors of the Oregon Agricultural College .

In 1912 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . Instead he was again State Senator between 1917 and 1921. In 1918, he ran for governor of Oregon without success. Four years later he was luckier: he was elected as the candidate of his Democratic Party for the new governor. However, in this election he had the support of the then influential Ku Klux Klan , which, in addition to its racial ideology, represented an anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic position.

Governor of Oregon

Walter Pierce began his four-year term on January 8, 1923. As governor, he had to deal with a Republican majority in the state parliament that blocked parts of his proposals. During his time, however, the first Oregon Income Tax Act was passed, prison reforms were implemented, and some hydroelectric plants were built. By supporting Robert La Follette in the 1924 presidential election, he split his party. Since he had not sufficiently complied with the wishes of the Ku Klux Klan, the latter operated, albeit unsuccessfully, to remove the governor. However, Pierce lost to Republican Isaac Lee Patterson in the 1926 gubernatorial election . His term of office thus ended on January 19, 1927.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, Pierce initially retired to his ranch. In 1928 he again applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Congress. He turned down a new candidacy in the gubernatorial elections of 1930. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1932 . He stayed there from 1933 to 1943 and supported the policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt . Pierce also played an important role in his Democratic Party. In 1920, 1932 and 1936 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention , from 1932 to 1936 he was a member of the Democratic National Committee .

After he was no longer elected to Congress in 1942, Pierce, now 81, retired from politics. He died in 1954. Walter Pierce was married three times and had a total of six children.

literature

  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Pierce, Walter M.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pierce, Walter Marcus (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 30, 1861
PLACE OF BIRTH Morris , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH March 27, 1954
Place of death Salem , Oregon