Morell Keith Neville (February 25, 1884 – December 4, 1959) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, he served as the 18th Governor of Nebraska. Neville was born in

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

, the son of William Neville, and attended St. John's Academy. In 1905, he graduated from St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) in Annapolis, Maryland, where he was a member of

Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic fraternity with approximately 74 active chapters and provisional chapters in North America. Most of its first two dozen chapters were granted to schools in ...

fraternity. He returned to manage the family ranch and served as the director of the First National Bank in North Platte. He married Mary Virginia Neill on October 21, 1908, and they had four children.

Career

Nicknamed the "Boy Governor" for his youth, 32 years of age, Neville was elected in 1916 as governor of Nebraska, serving from 1917 to 1919. During his tenure a rigorous liquor law was sanctioned and World War I issues were dealt with. In 1918 Neville was defeated for re-election as governor by

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 ...

Samuel R. McKelvie and returned to North Platte, where he continued to be active in banking and ranching as well as politics. He was a delegate 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 1852 ...

from Nebraska in 1920, 1932 and 1956. He was the Democratic nominee for

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Nebraska in 1954, but lost to Republican

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Carl Curtis. For seventeen years, Neville also was coach of the North Platte High School football team.

Death and legacy

Neville died December 4, 1959 and is interred at North Platte Cemetery in North Platte. He was a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, the

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, the

Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

, the Odd Fellows, and

, as well as a member of the Episcopal Church. The

Nebraska State Historical Society History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." I ...

holds papers relating to Neville's administration.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neville, M. Keith 1884 births 1959 deaths Democratic Party governors of Nebraska American bankers People from North Platte, Nebraska 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American Episcopalians

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links