Winfield Scott Hammond | |
|---|---|
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| 18th Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 5, 1915 – December 30, 1915 | |
| Lieutenant | Joseph A. A. Burnquist |
| Preceded by | Adolph Olson Eberhart |
| Succeeded by | Joseph A. A. Burnquist |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1907 – January 6, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | James McCleary |
| Succeeded by | Franklin Ellsworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1863-11-17)November 17, 1863 |
| Died | December 30, 1915(1915-12-30) (aged 52) Clinton, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Educator, politician |
Winfield Scott Hammond (November 17, 1863 – December 30, 1915) was an American politician. He was a member of theDemocratic Party. He was the last governor from Minnesota to have been a member of theMinnesota Democratic Party before it merged with theFarmer-Labor Party to form theMinnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
Hammond was born in 1863 inSouthborough, Massachusetts, the son of Ellen P. (Panton) and John Washington Hammond.[1] His mother was born in England. He served fromMinnesota in theUnited States House of Representatives in the60th,61st,62nd, and63rd congresses from March 4, 1907, to January 6, 1915. He was the18thGovernor of Minnesota from January 5, 1915, until his death on December 30, 1915. Hammond is just one of five Minnesota Democrats to win a gubernatorial election with a Democrat in the White House.[2] He was the second governor of Minnesota to die in office.Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist succeeded him to the governorship to fill the vacancy left by Hammond's death.
Minnesota's eighteenth governor had little time to effect significant change before he died in office. Had he lived longer, perhaps Hammond would have realized his ambitious plans to reorganize state government by minimizing bureaucracy and eliminating waste to make Minnesota's wheels turn more efficiently. Instead, his most notable legislation was the "county option bill," a restriction on liquor sales that pleased prohibition advocates.
An inscription under Hammond's bust in the capitol describes him as "a scholar in politics". He earned bachelor's and master's degrees fromDartmouth College and, upon moving to Mankato at age 21, became principal of its high school. He later studied law while he supervised schools inWatonwan County. He made his permanent home inSt. James, where he practiced law and established himself as a political contender.
A staunch Democrat in a Republican community, he lost his first bid for Congress in 1892, but perseverance and bipartisan support eventually brought him a congressional seat 14 years later. He interrupted his fourth consecutive term to leave Washington and run for governor.
Hammond had been in office only eight months when he sufferedptomaine poisoning on a trip south and died of a stroke, aged 52, inClinton, Louisiana on December 30, 1915.[3]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter M. Ringdahl | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Minnesota 1914 | Succeeded by Thomas P. Dwyer |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Minnesota 1915 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Representative fromMinnesota's 2nd congressional district 1907 – 1915 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
