Thomas Walter Bickett (February 28, 1869December 28, 1921) was the 54th

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 1917 to 1921. He was born in

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager f ...

. Bickett was a graduate of

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

. Prior to being elected Governor, Bickett practiced law in Louisburg, represented Franklin County in the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

and then served as

North Carolina Attorney General The Attorney General of North Carolina is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The attorney general is a constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies in legal matters, supplying other state offici ...

for two terms (1909–1917). In 1916, Bickett became the first state governor who was nominated by means of a Democratic Party

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

(in which he defeated Lt. Gov. Elijah L. Daughtridge). Under Bickett's leadership, the state saw improvements in child welfare,

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, electricity, and running water. He persuaded the legislature to establish the state's first

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

. He also had to lead the state through

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 ...

. Walter Bickett Elementary in

(where he was born) is named for him. Two school locations have his name. The original Walter Bickett School opened in March 1922 on Lancaster Avenue as Monroe High School, the city's first high school, and was named "sometime later" for Bickett. It remained a high school until the present Monroe High School was built in 1960, and was replaced in 2003 with a new Walter Bickett Elementary. The older building became Walter Bickett Pre-K Education Center.

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External links

North Carolina Historical Marker
1869 births 1921 deaths Wake Forest University alumni Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives People from Louisburg, North Carolina Democratic Party governors of North Carolina North Carolina Attorneys General People from Monroe, North Carolina 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub