Horace F. Graham

Horace French Graham (February 7, 1862 – November 23, 1941) was an American politician who served as the 56th governor of Vermont from 1917 to 1919.

Horace F. Graham
Governor Horace Graham. Photo by A.W. Elson & Company, Belmont, Massachusetts.
56th Governor of Vermont
In office
January 4, 1917 – January 9, 1919
LieutenantRoger W. Hulburd
Preceded byCharles W. Gates
Succeeded byPercival W. Clement
Vermont State Auditor
In office
1902–1917
GovernorJohn G. McCullough
Charles J. Bell
Fletcher D. Proctor
George H. Prouty
John A. Mead
Allen M. Fletcher
Charles W. Gates
Preceded byOrion M. Barber
Succeeded byBenjamin Gates
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1924-1925
1900
1892
Personal details
Born(1862-02-07)February 7, 1862
Brooklyn, New York, US
DiedNovember 23, 1941(1941-11-23) (aged 79)
Craftsbury, Vermont, US
Resting placeCraftsbury Common Cemetery, Craftsbury, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
EducationCollege of the City of New York
Columbia Law School
ProfessionAttorney

Early life

Graham was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Samuel Hallett Graham and Lucy Fairbanks (Swett) Graham. He received his early education in Craftsbury, Vermont, and was a graduate of Craftsbury Academy. He graduated from the College of the City of New York (now New York University) in 1882.[1][2][3] He received his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1888 and became an attorney in Craftsbury.[4][5][6][7]

Graham was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.[8]

Early political career

A Republican, he served as Craftsbury's Town Meeting Moderator from 1902 to 1932, and in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1892 and 1900. He was Orleans County State's Attorney from 1898 to 1902, and a Republican Presidential elector in 1900.

Graham was Vermont's Auditor from 1902 to 1916, and a member of the state Education Commission in 1913.[9][10]

Election as Governor

In 1916 Graham was the successful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor. In a state where only Republicans won statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, he easily won the general election. He served from 1917 to 1919, the one term then available to Vermont Republicans under the "Mountain Rule."[11][12][13]

Graham's governorship was notable for his advocacy of women's suffrage in local elections, and for his efforts to mobilize the Vermont National Guard and other state resources for World War I.[14][15]

Charges of embezzlement

While Graham was governor, an investigation revealed that a large sum of state money (nearly $25 thousand, or $450 thousand in 2019) was unaccounted for during his term as Auditor. Graham repaid the missing funds, but was charged with embezzlement and convicted at trial.[16] He was then pardoned by the new Governor, Percival Clement, who lauded Graham's integrity (his nickname was "Honest Horace")[17] and efforts as Governor during World War I. Graham always maintained his innocence, but stated that since the loss took place while he was Auditor, he felt personally obligated to reimburse the state for the missing money.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]

Post gubernatorial career

His reputation for integrity was largely undamaged, and he served in the Vermont House again from 1924 to 1925, and also took part in revising Vermont's Statutes in 1933.[26][27][28][29][30]

Death and burial
Gravestone of Horace French Graham in Craftsbury's Crfatsbury Common Cemetery
Gravestone of Horace French Graham in Craftsbury's Crfatsbury Common Cemetery

Graham died in Craftsbury on November 23, 1941.[31] He was buried at Craftsbury Common Cemetery.[32]

Personal

Graham was a lifelong bachelor and lived with his sister Isabel.[33][34][35]

References
  1. New York City College, Annual Register, 1878, page 109
  2. Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Directory of Members, 1898, page 123
  3. Phi Gamma Delta magazine, Governor Horace F. Graham, March 1917, page 605
  4. Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1902, page 54
  5. Annual Register of the Officers and Students of Columbia College, published by the college, 1884, page 53
  6. Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties, y William Hartley Jeffrey, 1904, pages 263 to 265
  7. Columbia University, Annual Register of the Officers and Students of Columbia College, 1888, page 53
  8. Biography, Horace F. Graham, Phi Gamma Delta magazine, published by the fraternity, Volume 39, May, 1917, pages 605 to 606
  9. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Secretary of State, 1933, page 586
  10. Magazine article, Republican Presidential Electors, The Vermonter magazine, October 1900, page 47
  11. Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 4, 1921, pages 471-472
  12. Newspaper article, The Mountain Rule in Vermont, New York Times, February 12, 1895
  13. Magazine article, Mountain Rule Revisited, by Samuel B. Hand, Vermont History Magazine, published by Vermont Historical Society, Summer/Fall 2003, pages 139 to 151
  14. History of Woman Suffrage: 1900-1920, edited by Ida Husted Harper, published by National American Woman Suffrage Association, Volume 6, 1922, page 663
  15. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, edited by Robert Sobel and John Raimo, Volume 4, 1978, page 1603
  16. Warren A. Williams (2004–2020). "Two Forgotten Vermont Freemasons". vtfreemasons.org.
  17. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, 1922, page 66
  18. Confirms Shortage in Graham's Books, New York Times, August 18, 1918
  19. Newspaper article, A celebrated Case, New York Times, November 27, 1918
  20. Newspaper article, Graham Denies Theft: Former Governor of Vermont Says he Repaid State Funds, New York Times, January 31, 1920
  21. Newspaper article, Gov. Clement Gives Graham Full Pardon, Boston Daily Globe, November 5, 1920
  22. Newspaper article, Ex-Governor Graham Convicted of Theft, New York Times, February 6, 1920
  23. Untitled article, published in Moderator-Topic magazine, published by Michigan Education Company, Lansing, Michigan, November 18, 1920
  24. "The Trials of Honest Horace: His rise, his rival and his fall". VTDigger. November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  25. "Horace Graham and W.W. Stickney to decide on new building or addition". The Burlington Free Press. May 26, 1915. p. 9. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  26. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1933
  27. Newspaper article, H.F. Graham Dies; Ex-War Governor, New York Times, November 25, 1941
  28. Who Was Who in America, published by Marquis Who's Who, Volume 2, 1950, page 217
  29. American State Governors, 1776-1976], published by Oceana Publications, Dobbs Ferry, New York, Volume 3, 1977, page 486
  30. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, 1942
  31. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 entry for Horace French Graham
  32. Vermont Old Cemetery Association
  33. 1910 U.S. Census entry, Isabel S. Graham family
  34. 1920 U.S. Census entry, Lucy F. Graham family
  35. 1930 U.S. Census entry, Horace F. Graham family

External resources

VT Digger
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