Samuel Walker McCall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McCall circa 1920 | |
| 47th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 6, 1916 – January 2, 1919 | |
| Lieutenant | Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | David I. Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Calvin Coolidge |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's8th district | |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Moses T. Stevens |
| Succeeded by | Frederick S. Deitrick |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1889–1892 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Walker McCall February 28, 1851 East Providence Township, Pennsylvania |
| Died | November 4, 1923 (aged 72) Winchester, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Wildwood Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (AB) |
Samuel Walker McCall (February 28, 1851 – November 4, 1923) was an AmericanRepublican lawyer, politician, and writer fromMassachusetts. He was for twenty years (1893–1913) a member of theUnited States House of Representatives, and the47thGovernor of Massachusetts, serving three one-year terms (1916–1919). He was a moderately progressive Republican who sought to counteract the influence of money in politics.
Born inPennsylvania and educated atDartmouth, he settled in Massachusetts, where he entered local politics on a progressive reform agenda. Elected to Congress, he continued his reform activities, and opposed annexation of thePhilippines. He did not join theProgressive Party, but was insufficiently conservative for state party leaders, who denied him election to theUnited States Senate on two occasions. As governor, he directed the state's actions duringWorld War I, and orchestrated early aid toHalifax,Nova Scotia following adevastating munitions ship explosion there in 1917.
Samuel Walker McCall was born inEast Providence Township, Pennsylvania on February 28, 1851, to Henry and Mary Ann (Elliott) McCall, the sixth of eleven children.[1] At a young age, the family moved to an undeveloped frontier area of northernIllinois, where McCall spent much of his childhood.[2] McCall's father speculated in real estate and owned a stove factory, which was closed by financial reverses of thePanic of 1857.[3] His education began at theMount Carroll Seminary (nowShimer College) inMount Carroll from 1864 to 1866,[4] when that school closed to male students.[5]
McCall's parents then sent him east to theNew Hampton Academy inNew Hampton, New Hampshire, on the recommendation of a neighbor.[4] McCall graduated from New Hampton Academy in 1870 and subsequently attendedDartmouth College, where he was a member of theKappa Kappa Kappa fraternity and graduatedPhi Beta Kappa near the top of his class. While at Dartmouth, he published a newspaper (self-financed by himself and the other editors) called theAnvil, and was tapped by the Dartmouth president to stand in for a sick teacher ofLatin andGreek at an academy inMeriden, New Hampshire.[6] TheAnvil was one of the first student-run newspapers to comment on national and state politics.[7]
After graduating, McCall moved toWorcester, Massachusetts, where he studied law and gained admission to the Massachusetts Bar.[8] He then opened a law practice inBoston with a Dartmouth classmate,[9] which he maintained for most of his life.[8] In 1888, he and two partners purchased theBoston Daily Advertiser, for which he served as editor-in-chief for two years.[7] In 1881 he married Ella Esther Thompson, whom he met while attending New Hampton Academy;[10] they settled inWinchester, Massachusetts,[7] where they raised five children.[8]
McCall was elected a member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives in 1887, serving three terms in 1888, 1889, and 1892.[7] Politically a reform-mindedMugwump (he had supported DemocratGrover Cleveland in1884), he introduced legislation to govern so-called "corrupt practices" of elected officials, intended to reduce the influence of money and favors in politics.[11][12] The legislation failed to pass the legislature until 1892.[13] He also supported legislation abolishingimprisonment for debt.[7] He was a delegate to theRepublican National Convention in 1888,[14] and served as the state's ballot commissioner in 1890 and 1891.[7]
In 1892, McCall was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, a seat he would occupy for twenty years,[15] generally winning reelection by large margins.[7][16] As he had in the state legislature, he introduced a corrupt practices act into Congress. In April 1898, McCall was among the six representatives who voted againstdeclaring war on Spain. In foreign policy, he was anti-imperialist, arguing for the independence of thePhilippines after theSpanish–American War,[17] and opposed theDingley Tariff, arguing its rates were too high. He was one of the few representatives opposed to theHepburn Act, which enabled theInterstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad rates.[7][18] He had a reputation as a bit of a maverick, because he often strayed from the Republican party line, but he maintained a generally conservative voting record, and introduced little new legislation.[7]
In 1912, McCall refused to stand for reelection, and was instead considered by the state legislature for election to theUnited States Senate in early 1913, to succeed the outgoing SenatorWinthrop Murray Crane. His opponent,John W. Weeks, was more conservative Republican who had the support of most of the Crane-dominated state party apparatus. The contest was bitterly divisive, an echo of theProgressive Party split that damaged the party at the national level, and was narrowly won by Weeks,[19] even though McCall led in the party caucus balloting for the first three ballots.[7]
McCall was chosen by the party in 1914 as its nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts, as a unifying force between the more progressive and conservative wings of the party. Running against the popular Democratic incumbentDavid I. Walsh on a progressive platform, McCall was narrowly defeated,[20] with the Republican votes split due to the presence of aProgressive Party candidate on the ballot.[7] McCall was nominated again in 1915, with the Republicans deliberately courting the Progressive vote by calling for a stateconstitutional convention.[7] In a rematch with Walsh, he was this time victorious. He served three consecutive terms, with future PresidentCalvin Coolidge as his lieutenant governor. In each election, Coolidge won more votes than McCall did, and theBoston Transcript credited at least one of his victories to Coolidge's drawing power.[21]
TheMassachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917–1918 was the major political event of McCall's tenure. The convention proposed a number of reforms, most of which were adopted by the voters. State commissions and agencies were streamlined, andinitiative and referendum measures were added tothe state constitution. Elections for statewide offices were changed from annual to biennial, beginning in 1920. Legislative reforms proposed by McCall to the state legislature were only partially adopted; proposals reforming state insurance and the public pension program were left in the legislature, and his proposal to abolish capital punishment also failed.[22]
AnticipatingAmerican entry into World War I in early 1917, McCall formed the Massachusetts Public Safety Commission,[23] an emergency response and relief organization that was the first of its type in the nation.[24] Coordinating a wide array of public and charitable organizations and major businesses, the commission played a significant role in providing relief and other services until it was disbanded in 1918.[25] One of its most important actions was coordinating the state's response to theHalifax Explosion of December 6, 1917. With only fragmentary reports received early after a blast devastated theNova Scotia city ofHalifax, McCall called the committee into action, and offered unlimited assistance to the stricken city.[24] The state organized a major relief train (even before the full extent of the disaster was known) that was among the first to reach Halifax, and the committee's representatives assisted in organizing relief activities on the ground.[26] Temporary housing built in Halifax was named in McCall's honor,[27] and the state's relief efforts continue to be recognized today by Nova Scotia's annualgift of a Christmas tree to the city of Boston.[28]
In 1918, McCall decided not to run for reelection, and again stood for the United States Senate. In a party nomination rematch with Weeks, he abandoned the campaign after it became clear the conservative Crane wing of the party was standing with Weeks. The seat ended up being won by ex-Governor Walsh in a Democratic upset.[29] In the general election, McCall refused to campaign on Weeks' behalf, a move that contributed to the end of his political career. In 1920, he was nominated by PresidentWoodrow Wilson for a seat on theUnited States Tariff Commission; the nomination was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate.[22]
McCall was engaged in literary pursuits for much of his public career, writing in various newspapers and magazines. Following his exit from politics he continued to do so, writing for theAtlantic Monthly magazine, and working on political biographies. His published writings include biographies of his mentorThomas Brackett Reed, and ofPennsylvania congressmanThaddeus Stevens. Additionally, he was working in a biography ofDaniel Webster at the time of his death.[22]
McCall died in Winchester on November 4, 1923. His interment was inWildwood Cemetery.[30] Winchester's McCall Middle School is named in his honor. McCall's grandson,Tom McCall, was a two-term RepublicanGovernor of Oregon, serving from 1967 to 1975.[31]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts 1914,1915,1916,1917 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 8th congressional district March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Massachusetts 1916–1919 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
