William C. Oates

William Calvin Oates (born November 30, 1835 in Bullock County , Alabama , † September 9, 1910 in Montgomery , Alabama) was an American politician and governor of Alabama . Oates was a member of the Democratic Party .

Early years and political advancement

William Calvin Oates attended Old Field Schools and then high school in Lawrenceville , Alabama. Afterwards Oates taught at a school, was a house painter and worked as a carpenter. In 1858 he began to study law in Eufaula , was admitted to the bar and opened his own law firm in Abbeville in 1859 .

Oates joined in 1861 as Captain in the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment of the Army of the Confederate one. He was later promoted to colonel . He lost his right arm during the siege of Petersburg in 1864.

After the war, Oates returned to Abbeville and continued his practice as a lawyer. He decided to go into politics in 1868. In 1868 he was elected to the Democratic National Convention. He was also a member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1870 to 1872. In 1872 he lost the election for governor of Alabama. In 1875, Oates chaired the Judiciary Committee of Alabama's Constitutional Convention. Between 1881 and 1894 he was a member of the US Congress .

Governor of Alabama

On August 6, 1894, Oates defeated the popular Reuben Kolb in a fierce contest for governor of Alabama . Kolb held his own inauguration ceremony in front of the Capitol and unsuccessfully challenged Oate's inauguration on December 1, 1894. During Governor Oates' tenure, the state iron industry began to export overseas, a free-silver convention was held in 1895 to promote free and unrestricted silver coinage, hydropower was used to generate electricity on the Tallapoosa River , and prison and financial reforms were addressed. Oates did not seek re-election as governor, his candidacy for the US Senate ended in defeat.

Another résumé

After his tenure ended on December 1, 1896, Oates was active from home in the States in the Spanish-American War . While Alabama Constitutional Convention of 1901 led Oates the Judiciary Committee and was a member of the Committee for voting rights and elections (Engl. Committee on Suffrage and Elections ). Oates died in Montgomery on September 9, 1910 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama. Oates was married to Sarah (Sallie) Toney; they had a child together.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• William Oates in the National Governors Association (English)
• William C. Oates in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• William C. Oates in the database of Find a Grave (English)