Everett J. Lake (February 8, 1871 – September 16, 1948) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 67th governor of Connecticut.

Early life

Lake was born in

Woodstock, Connecticut Woodstock is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History 17th century In the mid-17th century, John Eliot (m ...

, on February 8, 1871, son of Thomas A. Lake and Martha A. Cockings Lake. He studied at Worcester Polytechnic and graduated in 1890. He then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where he played for the

Harvard Crimson football The Harvard Crimson football program represents Harvard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Harvard's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun ...

team. He received consensus All-American football honors in 1891. He graduated from Harvard in 1892. Lake married three times. His first wife was Eva Louise Sykes, whom he married on September 4, 1895, and with whom he had a son and a daughter, Marjorie S. Lake. Eva Lake died on November 25, 1935, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Her body was brought back to Connecticut for burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

. After Eva's death, Lake married Mrs. Elizabeth (Keeney) Gordon, the widow of Lewis E. Gordon, on December 24, 1935. She died on August 28, 1936, in

Whitefield, New Hampshire Whitefield is a town in Coös County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. The population was 2,490 at the 2020 census. Situated on the northern edge of the White Mountains, Whitefield is home to the Mount Washington Re ...

, and is also buried in the Cedar Hill Cemetery. Lake's third wife was Barbara Grace Lincoln, a prominent business woman and director of the

Sage-Allen Sage-Allen was a mid-market department store chain based in Hartford, Connecticut. The store was a fixture in southern New England and anchored a number of smaller local and regional shopping centers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and, later, Ne ...

store in Hartford. Surviving him by twenty years, Barbara died June 16, 1968, and is buried beside Lake in Ashford.

Career

Lake started his career by working for the Hartford Lumber Company, his father's business. He was the president of Hartford Lumber Company from 1900 to 1939. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Lake became a representative from Hartford in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 1903 to 1905. He also served as a member of the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

from 1905 to 1907. Lake became the 72nd lieutenant governor of Connecticut under Rollin S. Woodruff in 1907. He held that position until 1909. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Connecticut in 1912. At the 1920 state convention he supported the nomination of William H. Hall, a close friend. When the delegates became deadlocked over whom to select for governor, Lake was nominated. Not only did he win his party's support, but he also received more votes at the polls than any gubernatorial candidate had ever obtained before, defeating Democratic candidate Rollin U. Tyler by 110,880 votes. Elected in 1920, Lake became the

governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

. During his term, a bill was enacted that prohibited

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

ers from working more than eight hours a day. A legislation also was constituted that withheld employment certificates from children who were deficient in required schooling. In 1921 Lake was elected as an honorary member of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati. When Lake left office on January 3, 1923, he continued to work with the Hartford Lumber Company as well as participate in many civic and private organizations. His interest in football did not diminish, and he continued to attend Harvard–Yale games. In 1939, he retired as the president of the Hartford Lumber Company after 39 years.

Death

Lake died in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 16, 1948. He is interred at Westford Village Cemetery, Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut.

Head coaching record

References

External links