 James Bennett McCreary ( July 8 , 1838 – October 8 , 1918 ) was a lawyer and politician from the US state of Kentucky . He represented the state in both houses of the U.S. Congress and served as its 27th and 37th governor . Shortly after graduating from law school , he was commissioned as the only major in the 11th Kentucky Cavalry , serving under Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan during the American Civil War . He returned to his legal practice after the war . In 1869 , he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives where he served until 1875 ; he was twice chosen Speaker of the House . At their 1875 nominating convention , state Democrats chose McCreary as their nominee for governor , and he won an easy victory over Republican John Marshall Harlan . With the state still feeling the effects of the Panic of 1873 , most of McCreary 's actions as governor were aimed at easing the plight of the state 's poor farmers . 
