Phillips Lee Goldsborough I (August 6, 1865October 22, 1946), was an American

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 ...

politician and member of the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

representing

State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...

from 1929 to 1935. He was also the 47th Governor of Maryland from 1912 to 1916 and

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

of the Maryland Treasury from 1898 to 1900. To date, he is the last Republican to serve as Comptroller of Maryland.

Early life and career

Goldsborough was born in

Princess Anne, Maryland Princess Anne is a town in Somerset County, Maryland, Somerset County, Maryland, United States, that also serves as its county seat. Its population was 3,290 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is included in the Salisbury metropolita ...

and was educated in public and private schools. While working as a clerk for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1886, commencing practice in

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Maryl ...

soon thereafter. He also held an interest in banking. In 1893 he married Mary Ellen Showell (c. 1865 – 1930) and they had two sons: Brice W. Goldsborough; and Phillips Lee Goldsborough II. In 1891 and in 1895, Goldsborough was elected state's attorney for

Dorchester County, Maryland Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts (t ...

. In 1897, he was elected to the position of comptroller of the treasury of Maryland, but was defeated for reelection in 1899 by Dr. Joshua W. Hering. , he is the last Republican to have served as Maryland Comptroller. He was appointed collector of internal revenue for the district of Maryland in 1902 by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and later by President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

Governor of Maryland

Over time, Goldsborough built a large base of support in the state, which encouraged him to run for Governor of Maryland in 1911. He defeated Democratic challenger Arthur Pue Gorman Jr., becoming only the second Republican governor in state history up to that time. Goldsborough's tenure as governor saw a great deal of education reform, including the appointment of school boards and teacher certification. It was also during his tenure that the state purchased the Maryland Agricultural College, which is now the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

United States Senate

Goldsborough sought the Republican nomination for the Class I U.S. Senate seat from Maryland in 1916, but was defeated in the Republican primary by

Joseph I. France Joseph Irwin France (October 11, 1873January 26, 1939) was a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland from 1917 to 1923. Early life France was born in Cameron, Missouri, the son of Hanna Fletcher (née J ...

. He left politics afterwards and resumed his law practice in Cambridge, and also became president of the National Union Bank. When Republican

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

was elected President of the United States, Goldsborough again sought the same senate seat in Maryland. He was elected to the United States Senate in the election of 1928, defeating incumbent

William Cabell Bruce William Cabell Bruce (March 12, 1860May 9, 1946) was an American politician and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who represented the State of Maryland in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1929. Background Bruce was born in Charlotte County, V ...

Later career and death

In 1934, he was not a candidate for re-election to the senate, but instead ran again for Governor of Maryland. He lost in the Republican primary to Harry W. Nice, who went on to win the general election. President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

appointed Goldsborough to the director's board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1935. He served in that position until he died in 1946 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland, and is buried in the old churchyard of Christ Episcopal Church of his hometown of Cambridge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsborough, Phillips Lee 1865 births 1946 deaths Comptrollers of Maryland Republican Party governors of Maryland People from Cambridge, Maryland People from Princess Anne, Maryland Republican Party United States senators from Maryland American Episcopalians Goldsborough family