Roger Wolcott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 39th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January, 1897 – January 4, 1900 Acting: March 4, 1896–January 1897 | |
| Lieutenant | Winthrop M. Crane |
| Preceded by | Frederic T. Greenhalge |
| Succeeded by | Winthrop M. Crane |
| 36thLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office 1893–1897 | |
| Governor | William E. Russell Frederic T. Greenhalge |
| Preceded by | William H. Haile |
| Succeeded by | Winthrop M. Crane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1847-07-13)July 13, 1847 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 21, 1900(1900-12-21) (aged 53) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Signature | .png) |
Roger Wolcott (July 13, 1847 – December 21, 1900) was aRepublican lawyer and politician fromMassachusetts. He was the 36thlieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1893 to 1897, becoming acting governor in 1896 upon the death of GovernorFrederic T. Greenhalge. He was elected the 39thgovernor of Massachusetts in his own right in 1897, serving until 1900. He was a leading figure in the Young Republican Club, which revitalized the Massachusetts Republican Party in the 1890s.
Roger Wolcott was born inBoston, Massachusetts on July 13, 1847. He was the son of Joshua Huntington Wolcott (1804-1891) and Cornelia (Frothingham) Wolcott, and was descended fromConnecticut Founding FatherOliver Wolcott. His father was a successful businessman, having long been associated with the textile firm of A. & A. Lawrence. Roger Wolcott was first educated at a private school in Boston. After his older brother was killed in theAmerican Civil War, the family traveled to Europe, visitingEngland,Switzerland, andFrance, during which Wolcott continued his studies.
Upon the family's return to Boston Wolcott enteredHarvard College as a sophomore, graduating in 1870. He then attendedHarvard Law School, graduating in 1874, and was admitted to theSuffolk County bar the same year. He married Edith Prescott on September 2, 1874; she was the great-granddaughter of ColonelWilliam Prescott. The couple spent a year-long honeymoon in Europe.
Wolcott opened a law office in Boston in 1875. He became increasingly involved in the affairs of his father's business associates, eventually being appointed to serve on a number of corporate boards. Businesses he was associated with included theBoston and Albany Railroad and the New England Trust Company. He was also involved in philanthropic organizations, serving as a member of the Boston Provident Association, and as trustee of the Eye and Ear Infirmary and theMassachusetts General Hospital. He was a member of theMassachusetts Historical Society, and an overseer of Harvard College.
Wolcott became involved in politics not long after opening his law practice, winning a seat on the Boston Common Council in 1877 which he held for three years. He served as a member of theMassachusetts Legislature (Massachusetts General Court) from 1881 to 1884, and was offered theRepublican Party nomination forMayor of Boston in 1885, but refused on account of his father's poor health. Wolcott cared for his father until his death in 1891.
Wolcott began to assume a more prominent role in Republican circles after his father's death. He was a founding member and the first president of the Young Republican Club, an organization designed to inject new life into the party.[1] This organization promoted him as a potential candidate forlieutenant governor. In the 1892 state convention, Wolcott won the nomination despite opposition from some party leaders. Even though the Republican gubernatorial candidate,William H. Haile, lost to incumbentDemocratWilliam Russell, Wolcott won his race.[2] He served as the 36th Lieutenant Governor from 1893 to 1897, first under Russell, and then under RepublicanFrederic T. Greenhalge. He assumed the gubernatorial duties asActing Governor in March 1896 as a result of the death of Greenhalge, and was later elected as the39th Governor in November, serving from 1897 until 1900. He was reelected each year by large popular majorities.
While Governor, Wolcott approved a bill authorizing the purchase by theBoston Elevated Railway the state-ownedTremont Street Subway tunnel, but required a public referendum on the proposed purchase. When it was brought to a vote, it was defeated by a 2-to-1 margin.[3] When theSpanish–American War broke out in 1898, Wolcott immediately put the state on a war footing, securing legislative authorization for military expenditures in just 25 minutes. The state was one of the first to supply militia troops to the war effort.[4]
In 1899, Wolcott decided not to run for reelection. He was offered a variety of diplomatic posts by PresidentWilliam McKinley, but refused them, and embarked on a trip to Europe with his family in May 1900. After his return he campaigned for Republicans in the 1900 elections. He fell ill withtyphoid fever in mid-November, and died in Boston on December 21, 1900.
The trustees of Milton Academy named the largest of the campus houses after Gov. Wolcott following his death in 1900.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts 1896,1897,1898 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts 1893–1897 Acting Governor, 1896–1897 | Succeeded by Winthrop M. Crane |
| Preceded by | Governor of Massachusetts 1897–1900 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
