Edwin Lee Norris (August 15, 1865 – April 25, 1924) was a Democratic politician from

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. He served as the fifth Governor of Montana.

Biography

Norris was born in

Cumberland County, Kentucky Cumberland County is a county located in the Pennyroyal Plateau region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,856. Its county seat is Burkesville. The county was formed in 1798 and named for the Cumberland ...

in 1865, and graduated from the Southern Normal School, now

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the 2 ...

. He moved from Kentucky to Montana in 1888, studied law and was admitted to the Montana bar on October 8, 1889. He married Elizabeth June Wilkins. He practiced law in

Dillon, Montana Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,880 at the 2020 census. The city was named for Sidney Dillon (1812–1892), president of Union Pacific Railroad. History Dillon was fo ...

and was city attorney there for five years.

Career

Norris was elected to the

Montana State Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

in 1896 and served until 1900, serving as the

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

in 1899. He served as the state's fifth

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1905 to 1908. He became

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

on April 1, 1908 upon the resignation of

Joseph K. Toole Joseph Kemp Toole (May 12, 1851 – March 11, 1929) was a Democratic politician from Montana. He served as the first and fourth Governor of Montana. Biography Toole was born in Savannah, Missouri and attended public school in St. Joseph, Miss ...

, and was elected in his own right in the November 1908 election, serving until 1913. Norris is credited with signing state laws prohibiting discrimination by life insurance companies and making mine operators liable when employees became disabled.

Death

Norris died in Great Falls, Montana in 1924, where he had lived since leaving the Governor's office. He was first buried in Fairview Cemetery and later moved to New Highland Cemetery where he is still interred.

References

External links

State of Montana profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Edwin L. 1865 births 1924 deaths People from Cumberland County, Kentucky Western Kentucky University alumni Montana lawyers Democratic Party Montana state senators Lieutenant Governors of Montana Democratic Party governors of Montana American Presbyterians People from Dillon, Montana 19th-century American lawyers