Horace French Graham (February 7, 1862November 23, 1941) was an American politician who served as the 56th governor of Vermont from 1917 to 1919.

Early life

Graham was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the son of Samuel Hallett Graham and Lucy Fairbanks (Swett) Graham. He received his early education in

Craftsbury, Vermont Craftsbury is a Vermont municipality, town in Orleans County, Vermont, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,343 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town includes the unincorporated villages of Craftsbury, C ...

, and was a graduate of

Craftsbury Academy Craftsbury Academy is a term that is generally applied to the high school portion of the Craftsbury School System located in Craftsbury, Orleans County, Vermont, although occasionally it is extended to include the middle school as well, becaus ...

. He graduated from the College of the City of New York (now

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

) in 1882. He received his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1888 and became an attorney in Craftsbury. Graham was a member of the

Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Fiji, is a social fraternity with more than 144 active chapters and 10 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848. Along with Phi Kappa Psi, Phi ...

fraternity.

Early political career

A Republican, he served as Craftsbury's Town Meeting Moderator from 1902 to 1932, and in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

in 1892 and 1900. He was Orleans County

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

from 1898 to 1902, and a Republican

Presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

in 1900. Graham was Vermont's Auditor from 1902 to 1916, and a member of the state Education Commission in 1913.

Election as Governor

In 1916 Graham was the successful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor. In a state where only Republicans won statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, he easily won the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. He served from 1917 to 1919, the one term then available to Vermont Republicans under the "Mountain Rule." Graham's governorship was notable for his advocacy of women's suffrage in local elections, and for his efforts to mobilize the Vermont National Guard and other state resources for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Charges of embezzlement

While Graham was governor, an investigation revealed that a large sum of state money (nearly $25 thousand, or $450 thousand in 2019) was unaccounted for during his term as Auditor. Graham repaid the missing funds, but was charged with embezzlement and convicted at trial. He was then pardoned by the new Governor,

Percival Clement Percival Wood Clement (July 7, 1846January 9, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 57th governor of Vermont from 1919 to 1921. Biography Clement was born on July 7, 1846, in Rutland, Vermont, the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Woo ...

, who lauded Graham's integrity (his nickname was "Honest Horace") and efforts as Governor during

. Graham always maintained his innocence, but stated that since the loss took place while he was Auditor, he felt personally obligated to reimburse the state for the missing money.

Post gubernatorial career

His reputation for integrity was largely undamaged, and he served in the Vermont House again from 1924 to 1925, and also took part in revising Vermont's Statutes in 1933.

Death and burial

Graham died in Craftsbury on November 23, 1941. He was buried at Craftsbury Common Cemetery.

Personal

Graham was a lifelong bachelor and lived with his sister Isabel.1930 U.S. Census entry, Horace F. Graham family

References

External resources

Horace French Graham biography
accessed November 19, 2011

VT Digger

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Horace F. 1862 births 1941 deaths People from Craftsbury, Vermont New York University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Republican Party governors of Vermont State Auditors of Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont politicians convicted of crimes Burials in Vermont Recipients of American gubernatorial pardons