John Edward Erickson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromMontana | |
| In office March 13, 1933 – November 6, 1934 | |
| Appointed by | Frank Henry Cooney |
| Preceded by | Thomas J. Walsh |
| Succeeded by | James E. Murray |
| 8thGovernor of Montana | |
| In office January 4, 1925 – March 13, 1933 | |
| Lieutenant | W.S. McCormack Frank A. Hazelbacker Frank Henry Cooney |
| Preceded by | Joseph M. Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Frank Henry Cooney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1863-03-14)March 14, 1863 |
| Died | May 25, 1946(1946-05-25) (aged 83) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Washburn University |
John Edward Erickson (March 14, 1863 – May 25, 1946) was an American politician of theDemocratic Party fromMontana. He served as the eighthGovernor of Montana and as aUnited States senator.[1]
Erickson was born inStoughton, Wisconsin.[2] He was the son of E. Erickson and Olene Alma Erickson, both Norwegian immigrants.[2] When he was one year old, he moved with his parents toEureka, Kansas.[2] He graduated fromWashburn University inTopeka, Kansas in 1890.[2][1] He studied law, wasadmitted to the bar in 1891 atEureka, Kansas.[3] He married Grace Vance in 1898 and they had three children.[2][4]
Erickson was admitted to the Kansas state bar in 1891.[2] He moved toGreat Falls, Montana in 1892[2][5] and later toChoteau, Montana,[2] where he continued practicing law. He served as county attorney ofTeton County from 1897 to 1905, then judge of the eleventh judicial district of Montana from 1905 to 1915.[2] He resumed the practice of law atKalispell, Montana in 1916.[6] ADemocrat, Erickson was elected in 1924 as theeighth Governor of Montana.[2] He won reelection in 1928, and again in 1932,[2] making him the only governor elected to three terms.[7] He served from January 4, 1925 to March 13, 1933. During his tenure, a new state income tax was sanctioned, a fund to financially equalize impoverished rural schools was established, a gasoline tax was implemented, a new banking law was authorized, and a tax on mining profits was initiated.[8]
On March 13, 1933, Erickson resigned as governor whereuponFrank Cooney, formerly Erickson's lieutenant governor and now the acting governor, appointed Erickson to theUnited States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofThomas J. Walsh. Although on the face of it, this appears to have been a rather brazen attempt on Erickson's part to establish himself in the Senate, Montana SenatorBurton K. Wheeler tells a different story in his autobiography.[9] Apparently Montana's Democratic National Committeeman,J. Bruce Kremer, was certain to be appointed to Walsh's seat. Walsh had very much disliked Kremer and worried that Kremer would succeed him if he (Walsh) acceptedFranklin D. Roosevelt's appointment to his cabinet, as Attorney General (which Walsh had, at the time of his death). After Walsh's untimely demise, his daughter Genevieve Gudger asked Senator Wheeler if he would intercede with Governor Erickson to stop Kremer's appointment. As Wheeler also disliked Kremer, he agreed to do so. In Wheeler's telling,[10] it was he who talked a reluctant Erickson into getting himself appointed. Erickson ran in 1934 to fill the remainder of Walsh's Senate term, but finished third in the primary, behindJames E. Murray, who went on to win thespecial general election, andJames F. O'Connor. He continued to serve in the Senate through November 6, 1934, the day that Murray was elected, at which point he resigned in favor of Murray, in order to give Murray seniority rights over other freshman senators, who didn't start their terms until 1935. Following his return from the Senate, Erickson practiced law inHelena, Montana, until his death.
Erickson died on May 25, 1946, and is entombed at Conrad Memorial Cemetery, Kalispell, Flathead County, Montana.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Montana 1924,1928,1932 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Montana January 4, 1925 – March 13, 1933 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator from Montana March 13, 1933 – November 6, 1934 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
