William E. Cameron

WE Cameron

William Evelyn Cameron (born November 29, 1842 in Petersburg , Virginia , † January 25, 1927 in Louisa County , Virginia) was an American politician and governor of the state of Virginia from 1882 to 1886 .

Early years

William Cameron attended public schools in his home country. In 1857 he moved to Hillsboro , North Carolina . There he studied at the North Carolina Military Institute . In 1860 he moved to Washington College in St. Louis , Missouri , where he was preparing for training at the US Military Academy at West Point . The outbreak of the American Civil War prevented this plan.

Civil War and Rise

When war broke out, he joined a Confederation unit in St. Louis. He was captured but was able to escape and rejoin a Confederate military unit in Virginia . For the rest of the war he fought in the ranks of the Southern Army, in which he made it to captain . After the end of the war, William Cameron studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1866. At the same time he was active as a journalist. He became the publisher of the "Petersburg Daily News" newspaper and was later involved in the "Petersburg Daily Index". He also published in newspapers in Norfolk and Richmond . In his articles he represented the views of the newly formed Conservative Party of Virginia. Cameron was mayor of the city of Petersburg between 1876 and 1882. In 1882 he was elected as the candidate of the Readjuster Party for the new governor of his state. He was to remain the only governor of that party in Virginia.

Governor of Virginia

William Cameron took up his new office as governor of Virginia on January 1, 1882. In keeping with his party's electoral manifesto, he reduced Virginia's prewar debt and improved the education system by increasing its budget. He created the conditions for the later founding of Virginia State University and the Central State Hospital . Both institutions should primarily benefit the black population. The poll tax laws were also withdrawn. However, like everywhere in the southern states , they were to be reintroduced later and remain in force well into the 20th century. Cameron's government granted tax breaks for agriculture. At the same time, his personnel policy sparked resentment in Virginia because Cameron got his friends government offices and fired his opponents from the public service.

Another résumé

After his tenure ended on January 1, 1886, Cameron became a lawyer in Petersburg. He was employed as a historian during the Columbus Exhibition in Chicago . From 1901 to 1902 he was a delegate to a meeting to revise the state constitution of Virginia. After moving to Norfolk in 1906 , he was a member of the editorial staff of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot newspaper until 1912. He also wrote a book about the Columbus Exhibition and a biography of Robert E. Lee . William Cameron was married to Louisa Egerton (1846-1908) since 1868, with whom he had three children. He died in January 1927 with one of his sons in Louisa County, Virginia, and was buried in Petersburg.

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

• William E. Cameron in the National Governors Association (English)
• William E. Cameron in the database of Find a Grave (English)