Samuel Roy McKelvie (April 15, 1881 – January 6, 1956) 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 ...

. McKelvie served as the 19th

governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

, from 1919 to 1923. He was also the 13th

lieutenant governor of Nebraska The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the Governor of Nebraska, governor. According to the Constitution of Nebraska, Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, ...

, from 1913 to 1915. McKelvie was born near

Fairfield, Nebraska Fairfield is a city in Clay County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 387 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Fairfield got its start in 1872 with the construction of the rai ...

. He attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

and graduated from Lincoln Business College in 1901. He married Martha (Flossie) DeArnold on June 19, 1904, and the couple had two children. As Martha McKelvie, his spouse was a noted silent movie columnist, and, starting three years after his death, the author of what became a total of twenty-four books, one of them, ''Presidents, Politicians and People I Have Known'', a memoir.

Career

From 1902 to 1905, McKelvie sold advertising for the ''Twentieth Century Farmer'' of Omaha, Nebraska. The editor of ''

Nebraska Farmer The ''Nebraska Farmer'' was the first agricultural publication in the state and is, at present, one of the oldest run journals in Nebraska. This publication is still highly influential in the making of agricultural policies and procedures in Nebra ...

'' beginning in 1905, he became principal owner and publisher of that paper by 1908. McKelvie first entered politics as a member of the

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

City Council. He held that position from 1908 to 1909. McKelvie was then elected to one term in the

Nebraska House of Representatives The Nebraska House of Representatives was the lower house of the Nebraska Legislature during the days when Nebraska Territory, Nebraska was a territory from 1854 to 1867 and then again when Nebraska was a state from 1867 until 1937. In 1934, Nebras ...

in 1910, and served as the

Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the Governor of Nebraska, governor. According to the Constitution of Nebraska, Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, ...

from 1913 to 1915. McKelvie was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1918, and defeated Democratic

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Keith Neville Morell Keith Neville (February 25, 1884 – December 4, 1959) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 18th Governor of Nebraska. Neville was born in North Platte, Nebrask ...

. Reelected in 1920, he saw a state park system initiated, construction plans for a new state capitol building approved, the state accounting system restructured, and forty-one new amendments to the state constitution sanctioned during his tenure. On April 15, 1922, a few months before leaving the governorship, McKelvie helped break ground for the current

Nebraska State Capitol The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln. Designed by New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, it was constructed of Indiana limestone from 1922 to 193 ...

. After stepping down from the governorship, McKelvie returned to his publishing position at ''

''. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1936 and 1944.

Death and legacy

McKelvie died on January 6, 1956, at his winter home near Mesa, Arizona after suffering two heart attacks. He is interred at Wyuka Cemetery in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. The Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest is named after him.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKelvie, Samuel Roy 1881 births 1956 deaths People from Clay County, Nebraska University of Nebraska alumni Writers from Nebraska Republican Party members of the Nebraska House of Representatives Republican Party governors of Nebraska Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska 20th-century American politicians