page:  = J. C. W. <unk> = 
   
   John <unk> <unk> <unk> ( August 5 , 1869 – January 9 , 1940 ) was the 35th Governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky . He was the state 's first popularly elected senator following passage of the Seventeenth Amendment . 
   <unk> from a prominent political family , <unk> was chosen as Democrat William <unk> 's running mate in the gubernatorial election of 1899 despite the fact that he was not yet of legal age to serve as governor if called to do so . <unk> lost the election to Republican William S. Taylor , but the Kentucky General Assembly disputed the election results . During the political wrangling that followed , an unknown assassin shot <unk> . A day later the General Assembly <unk> enough votes to give the election to <unk> , who was sworn into office on his deathbed . Taylor claimed the election had been stolen by the Democratic majority in the General Assembly and a legal fight ensued between him and <unk> over the governorship . <unk> ultimately prevailed and Taylor fled the state . 
   Following his term as governor , <unk> made a bid to become a U.S. Senator . His stance in favor of prohibition cost him the votes of four legislators in his own party and the seat went to Republican William O. Bradley . Six years later <unk> secured the seat by popular election , but he lost his re @-@ election bid largely because of his pro @-@ temperance views and his opposition to women 's suffrage . Though he continued to play an active role in state politics for another two decades , he never returned to elected office , failing in his gubernatorial bid in 1927 and his <unk> campaign in 1936 . He died in Louisville on January 9 , 1940 . 
   
   = = Early life = = 
   
   J. C. W. <unk> was born at <unk> , near <unk> in Nelson County , Kentucky , son of William <unk> and Julia <unk> ( <unk> ) <unk> . His maternal grandfather , Charles A. <unk> , was governor of Kentucky from 1839 to 1840 and served as <unk> general in the administration of John Tyler . His uncle , Robert C. <unk> , served as governor of Louisiana . 
   <unk> obtained his early education at <unk> Academy in <unk> . In 1881 he served as a page in the Kentucky House of Representatives at the age of 12 . Later , he enrolled at Central University ( now Eastern Kentucky University ) in Richmond , Kentucky but was forced to quit school at the age of 17 to support his widowed mother . Two years later , he became principal of <unk> public schools , serving from 1888 to 1893 . <unk> , he studied law at the University of Kentucky , where he earned his law degree in 1889 . He was admitted to the bar , and commenced practice in <unk> in 1893 . He also served as president of the Young Democrats ' Club of Nelson County . 
   
   = = Political career = = 
   
   <unk> 's political career began in 1894 when he was elected without opposition to the Kentucky House of Representatives . He served four consecutive terms and was Speaker of the House in 1898 , his final year in the House . He also served as a delegate to every Democratic National Convention from 1900 to 1920 . 
   
   = = = Governor of Kentucky = = = 
   
   Democrat William <unk> chose <unk> as his running mate in the Kentucky gubernatorial election of 1899 . <unk> was hesitant about the selection because he wanted someone who could deliver the vote of his home county in the general election , and <unk> 's native Nelson County was already committed to a rival candidate . But friends of <unk> assured him that <unk> would be loyal to <unk> 's reform agenda , whereas the two other men <unk> was considering as running mates would " stack the Senate committees against him . " <unk> was not yet 30 , the minimum age to serve as governor , at the time of his selection . 
   <unk> lost a close election to Republican William S. Taylor . When the General Assembly 's session opened on January 2 , 1900 , the election results were immediately challenged . With Democrats in control of both houses of the Assembly , the results seemed sure to be reversed . The Assembly was still <unk> on January 30 , 1900 , when <unk> was shot by an unknown assailant as he entered the state capitol building . The following day , as <unk> was being treated for his wounds at a local hotel , the General Assembly <unk> enough votes to give him the election . He was sworn into office from his bed the same day . Three days later <unk> died , never having risen from the bed . 
   Legislative chaos ensued as Taylor refused to acknowledge the Assembly 's decision and <unk> the governorship . The Republicans in the legislature <unk> Taylor 's orders , while the Democrats ignored Taylor and followed the orders of their leadership . Finally , on February 21 , 1900 , Taylor and <unk> agreed to let the courts settle the matter . The case first went before the Louisville Circuit Court , which found in favor of <unk> . Republicans appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals , at that time the court of last resort in the state . On April 6 , 1900 , the Court of Appeals upheld the ruling of the lower court . Taylor appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States , which declined to hear the case on May 21 , 1900 . Taylor 's only supporter on the court was <unk> John Marshall <unk> . 
   Following the Supreme Court ruling , Taylor fled to Indianapolis , Indiana , fearing he would be implicated in <unk> 's assassination . <unk> became acting governor , but because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the election , a special election was held November 6 , 1900 , to determine who would complete <unk> 's <unk> term . <unk> ( now of age ) won the election over Republican John W. <unk> by fewer than 4 @,@ 000 votes . Shortly following the special election , <unk> married Jean Raphael <unk> of <unk> . The couple had two sons . 
   As governor <unk> sought to unite his party and the state . As part of this effort he supported changes to the <unk> partisan <unk> Election Law , authored by his late running mate while the latter was a member of the General Assembly . He stressed non @-@ controversial issues such as improvements to roads and the state 's educational system . He recommended passage of a law to set uniform school textbook prices , a reform both he and <unk> had advocated during the gubernatorial campaign . However , his passive leadership ensured that the General Assembly did little to address his agenda . The only major pieces of legislation passed during <unk> 's term were a tax increase that added a half million dollars to the state 's revenue and a child labor law that forbade children under 14 to work without their parents ' consent . 
   
   = = = Second term = = = 
   
   Although the Kentucky Constitution prohibited governors from serving consecutive terms , <unk> announced he would seek a full term as governor in 1903 . His candidacy was challenged in court , but the court ruled <unk> had not served a full first term and was eligible to run . Due to his record of reconciliation and supporting non @-@ controversial reforms , he had no significant opposition in winning his party 's nomination . His record also deprived his Republican opponent , Morris B. <unk> , of any significant campaign issue in the general election . <unk> defeated <unk> and three minor candidates . 
   In his message to the legislature in 1904 , <unk> again raised the issue of a uniform school textbook law , which had not passed during his first term . The law was one of few significant reforms that passed during the 1904 session . During the session funds were approved for building a new capitol building and a memorial to the late Governor <unk> . 
   In March 1904 , <unk> signed the Day Law <unk> racial segregation of all schools in Kentucky . <unk> College , a private college in eastern Kentucky that had been integrated since the 1850s , immediately filed suit to challenge the law . The substance of the law was upheld in the circuit court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals . <unk> appealed to the Supreme Court , and in 1908 the court handed down an 8 – 1 decision against the college . Only John Marshall <unk> <unk> . 
   Near the close of the 1904 session , legislators approved the creation of <unk> County from parts of Carter , Elliott , and Lewis counties . Olive Hill was made the county seat . Soon the county 's existence was challenged in court on grounds that it fell short of the 400 square miles ( 1 @,@ 000 km2 ) required by the state constitution and that it reduced the counties it was carved from to less than 400 square miles ( 1 @,@ 000 km2 ) . Carter County joined the lawsuit , claiming the border of <unk> County passed too close to Grayson , the seat of Carter County , and <unk> , the seat of Lewis County . The state constitution forbade county borders to pass within 10 miles ( 16 km ) of a county seat . On April 29 , 1904 , the Kentucky Court of Appeals found in favor of the <unk> and dissolved <unk> County . 
   During the 1906 legislative session , <unk> urged investigation and prosecution of corrupt insurance companies , following the lead of New York attorney Charles Evans Hughes . In particular , he recommended reducing the practice of deferred <unk> , which allowed the insurance companies to keep large stores of cash on @-@ hand for illegal purposes . He further advocated that insurance companies doing business in the state be required to invest a certain percentage of their earnings in Kentucky , <unk> the its economy and providing <unk> some protection against fraud . 
   <unk> refused to send troops into the western part of the state to quell the ongoing Black <unk> Tobacco Wars . He cited constitutional reasons for his refusal , but more probably his reasons were political – the Democrats were dominant in this region and he didn 't want to challenge his own party . By collecting some old Civil War debts from the federal government , <unk> virtually eliminated the state 's debt . Encouraged by the state 's improved finances , the General Assembly voted to expand two of the state 's normal schools , Western State Teachers College in <unk> Green ( later Western Kentucky University ) and Eastern State Teachers College in Richmond ( later part of Eastern Kentucky University ) . 
   With a successful legislative session behind him , <unk> made a bold political move in June 1906 : he orchestrated an effort to set the Democratic gubernatorial and <unk> primaries in November – a full year before the gubernatorial election and two years before the <unk> election . <unk> wanted the Senate seat , and moving the primary up two years would allow him to secure his party 's nomination while he was still governor . It also allowed him to use his influence as governor to sway the party 's choice of his potential successor as governor . State <unk> Samuel Wilbur <unk> was <unk> 's choice for governor and easily won the early primary over <unk> <unk> <unk> . Former governor James B. <unk> challenged <unk> for the <unk> nomination , but <unk> won by more than 11 @,@ 000 votes . 
   
   = = = U.S. Senator = = = 
   
   <unk> 's term as governor ended December 10 , 1907 . In January 1908 he faced the legislature as the Democratic nominee for a seat in the U.S. Senate by virtue of the primary held two years earlier . The Republicans nominated former governor William O. Bradley . On the first ballot <unk> secured 66 of the needed 69 votes ; Bradley received 64 votes . Seven Democrats had not voted for <unk> . Over the next six weeks , 25 more votes were taken with neither man securing a majority , even though William Jennings Bryan , the Democratic nominee for president , campaigned for <unk> . Some Democrats pressured <unk> to withdraw and allow a more palatable Democrat to run , but he refused . On the 29th ballot , taken near the end of February 1908 , Bradley finally secured a majority after four Democrats crossed party lines to vote for him . 
   <unk> 's ardent support of prohibition likely cost him the election . His position put him at odds with Henry <unk> , editor of the powerful Louisville Courier @-@ Journal . As governor <unk> had crossed the liquor interests and the political machinery in Louisville . When the Kentucky Court of Appeals <unk> the results of Louisville 's municipal elections due to interference by the city 's " whiskey ring " in May 1907 , <unk> appointed Robert Worth <unk> , a young lawyer and fellow <unk> , as interim mayor until elections could be held in November . <unk> eliminated <unk> in the police department , closed gambling houses and enforced blue laws closing saloons on Sunday . Following this , the whiskey ring announced <unk> had forfeited the support of Louisville 's legislators . In the <unk> election in 1908 , three of the four Democrats who voted against <unk> were from Louisville . Following his defeat , <unk> returned to his law practice . 
   Six years later <unk> again attempted to win the Senate seat . Due to the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment , the senator would not be elected by the legislature , but by popular vote . In the Democratic primary <unk> defeated Augustus O. Stanley , a 12 @-@ year veteran congressman . The Republican nominee was former governor Augustus E. <unk> . <unk> by his support of President <unk> Wilson , <unk> won the election by 32 @,@ 000 votes . 
   <unk> served as chairman of the Senate Committee on <unk> in the Department of Labor from 1915 to 1917 and on the Senate Committee on Military Affairs . In the latter position he was influential in securing two large military training posts for Kentucky , Camp Zachary Taylor and Fort Knox . Though Camp Zachary Taylor was abandoned after World War I , Fort Knox became the home of the United States <unk> <unk> . When the United States entered World War I , <unk> continued to back President Wilson and supported the League of Nations . 
   True to his <unk> stance , <unk> supported passage of the <unk> Amendment <unk> the import and sale of alcohol in the United States . The amendment was ratified and became effective in January 1920 . Believing women should be protected from involvement in politics , <unk> opposed the <unk> Amendment , which granted women 's suffrage . The amendment failed on February 10 , 1919 , but passed on June 4 , 1919 . <unk> voted against it both times . 
   The Democrats <unk> <unk> without opposition in 1920 . His opponent in the general election was Republican Richard P. Ernst . Prohibition had destroyed the <unk> industry and the saloon business in the state , and in areas where these industries were prominent <unk> received more than 5 @,@ 000 fewer votes than Democratic presidential nominee James M. Cox . He was also hurt by the women 's vote and by his support of President Wilson , who had lost popularity since <unk> 's election in 1914 . Ernst won the election by fewer than 5 @,@ 000 votes , winning the race with 50 @.@ 3 percent of the vote to <unk> 's 49 @.@ 7 percent . During his single term in the Senate <unk> served alongside three other U.S. Senators from Kentucky : <unk> M. James , George B. Martin and Augustus O. Stanley . 
   
   = = Later life and death = = 
   
   Following his term in the Senate , <unk> resumed his legal practice in Louisville . He sought another term as governor in 1927 . This time he had the support of the Louisville Courier @-@ Journal , which had been purchased by his ally , Robert W. <unk> . He was opposed by a powerful political machine known as the <unk> Club , whose main interest was securing legislation to allow <unk> betting at the state 's horse <unk> . 
   The <unk> Club ran a candidate in both parties ' primary elections . In the Democratic primary <unk> defeated the Club 's relatively obscure candidate , Robert T. Crowe . <unk> D. Sampson , the Club 's nominee in the Republican primary , won his party 's nomination . In the general election <unk> could not secure the support of Democratic governor William J. Fields , who had been elected with the help of the <unk> Club . Despite the Democrats winning every other contest on the ballot , including the race for lieutenant governor , <unk> lost to Sampson by more than 32 @,@ 000 votes . It was estimated that the Club spent over $ 500 @,@ 000 to defeat him . 
   <unk> was expected to be the Democrats ' nominee for governor in 1935 , but the death of his son in late 1934 left him distraught and his wife opposed to another campaign . The Democrats turned to A. B. " Happy " Chandler of Henderson , who won the election . <unk> supported Chandler 's bid , and in return Chandler appointed him to the Kentucky Public Service Commission in 1936 . <unk> also served on the Department of Business Regulations Commission and chaired the State Government <unk> Commission . 
   <unk> attempted to return to the Senate in 1936 . The head of the <unk> Club , James B. Brown , had lost his fortune and influence when his banking empire crashed in 1930 . In 1933 <unk> 's ally , Robert <unk> , had been appointed ambassador to the Court of St. James 's , increasing his prominence and influence . <unk> also enjoyed the support of the United Mine Workers and Louisville mayor Neville Miller . The race was complicated , though , by the entry of John <unk> Brown , a Democrat who was a U.S. Representative and former Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives . He had agreed to support Chandler 's bid for the governorship in exchange for Chandler 's support in his run for the Senate . However , Chandler threw his support to <unk> , and while Brown was not able to win the seat without the support of <unk> and Chandler , he did garner 85 @,@ 000 votes , most of them at <unk> 's expense . Democratic incumbent M. M. Logan retained the seat by 2 @,@ 385 votes . 
   <unk> died in Louisville on January 9 , 1940 , and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort , Kentucky . <unk> County , Oklahoma , was named in his honor at the suggestion of a <unk> who was serving as a delegate to Oklahoma 's constitutional convention in 1907 . <unk> , his birthplace , was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 16 , 1973 . 
   
   