Elbert Lee Trinkle (March 12, 1876 – November 25, 1939) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the 49th Governor of Virginia from 1922 to 1926.

Biography

On March 12, 1876, Trinkle was born in Wytheville, Wythe County, Virginia, as the youngest son of the prominent Trinkle family. After graduating from

Hampden–Sydney College Hampden–Sydney College (H-SC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Men's colleges in the United States, college for men in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, it is the oldest privatel ...

in 1895, he studied law at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

, where he was manager of the Virginia Glee Club, and later opened a Wytheville law practice. Trinkle served as the chairman and an elector of the Democratic Party in 1916. He served two terms in the Virginia Senate before his election as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

in 1921. Trinkle boasted of his support for woman suffrage and some newspapers credited his victory in the primary in part to the women's vote. Trinkle also acted as a delegate for

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1924 and 1928. On November 25, 1939, he died in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, and was interred in East End Cemetery in Wytheville. Trinkle Hall (formally known as Trinkle Library) on the campus of the

University of Mary Washington University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Established in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Fredericksburg, the institution later became known as Fredericksbu ...

and Trinkle Hall on the campus of the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

were both named in his honor, as he helped secure funding to construct the buildings. However, due to the historical treatment of minorities during the Jim Crow segregation era in which he served, the University of Mary Washington elected to rename the hall, as it runs against the university's ASPIRE policy of inclusion among all students. On July 24, 2020, Mary Washington renamed Trinke Hall to

James Farmer James Leonard Farmer Jr. (January 12, 1920 – July 9, 1999) was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement "who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation, and served alongside Martin Luther King Jr." ...

Hall, after the prominent civil rights activist and former professor at the university. At William and Mary, Trinkle Hall was renamed in September 2020 to Unity Hall. Trinkle Hall on the

Radford University Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia, United States. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate ...

campus is also named for him.

Election

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

; Trinkle was elected Governor of Virginia with 64.6% of the vote over Republican Henry W. Anderson and Black-and-tan Republican John Mitchell, Jr.

References

External links

National Governors Association
* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Trinkle, E. Lee 1876 births 1939 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly American Presbyterians Democratic Party governors of Virginia Hampden–Sydney College alumni People from Wytheville, Virginia University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia lawyers Democratic Party Virginia state senators