Timothy Milford Babcock (October 27, 1919 – April 7, 2015) was an American politician, the 16th Governor of the state of Montana, from 1962 to 1969.

Early life

Babcock was born in Littlefork, Minnesota, the son of Olive (Rinehart) and Erwin Babcock. He later moved to Glendive, Montana and graduated from Dawson County High School in 1939. He married Betty Lee on September 21, 1941, and they had two children. After graduating from Dawson County High School in 1939, he worked at a Douglas Aircraft factory in California. In 1944, he enlisted in the US Army as an infantryman, and served with the

394th Infantry Regiment The 394th Infantry Regiment was established on 23 July 1918 as the 394th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division as a member of the National Army. It was demobilized on 30 November 1918, but was later reconstituted on 21 June 1921 as a member ...

, 99th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. He fought at Elsenborn Ridge, part of

the Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

. He later took part in the capture of the

Remagen Bridge The Ludendorff Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Bridge at Remagen) was in early March 1945 a critical remaining bridge across the river Rhine in Germany when it was captured during the Battle of Remagen by United States Army forces durin ...

, where he was awarded a

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for valor.

Career

Babcock served three terms in the

Montana Legislature The Montana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Montana. It is composed of the 100-member Montana House of Representatives and the 50-member Montana Senate. The Montana Constitution dictates that the legislature me ...

prior to being elected lieutenant governor in 1960. He became governor in 1962 upon the death of Governor

Donald Nutter Donald Grant Nutter (November 28, 1915January 25, 1962) was an American politician. A recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in World War II, Nutter served in the Montana Senate and as the chair of the state Republican Party prior to being ...

. During his tenure, he proposed a three-percent sales tax to support the state government, and moderated the budget signed by Governor Nutter. In 1964, Babcock endorsed

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

of Arizona for the Republican presidential nomination. Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, however, was an easy winner that year of Montana's then four electoral votes. He ran for re-election in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

against

Roland Renne Roland R. Renne (December 12, 1905 – August 30, 1989), an Agricultural Economics Professor, served as President of Montana State College from 1943 to 1964. Dr. Renne was also active in Washington D.C. and United States overseas agricultural econ ...

, the former President of

Montana State College Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 field ...

and the Democratic nominee. Following a close campaign, Babcock was narrowly re-elected over Renne. From 1964 to 1965, he a member of the National Governors' Conference Executive Committee, and he chaired the Western Governors' Conference from 1966 to 1967. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, he ran against incumbent United States Senator

Lee Metcalf Lee Warren Metcalf (January 28, 1911 – January 12, 1978) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1953–1961) and a U.S. Senator (1961–1978) from Montana. He was th ...

, and despite the fact that Democrats nationwide lost three Senate seats that year, Metcalf not only defeated Babcock, but increased his margin of victory from

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. When Babcock ran for re-election in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, he faced a stiff challenge in the Republican primary from Ted James, who had served with Babcock as his

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

since 1965. Babcock ended up defeating James, and advanced to the general election, where he faced

Forrest H. Anderson Forrest Howard Anderson (January 30, 1913 – July 20, 1989) was an American politician, attorney, and judge who served as the 17th Governor of Montana from 1969 to 1973. Prior to this, he served as the Attorney General of Montana from 1957 to 1 ...

, the State Attorney General, whom he lost to by a solid margin. Following his defeat, he was appointed by then-President Richard Nixon to the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere. In 1969, Babcock, who was a close friend of Nixon, was hired by Armand Hammer's

Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...

as a vice president and as Hammer's lobbyist with access not only to the White House but also to Babcock's friend President Nixon. 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 ...

eleven times and served on the National Republican Committee in 1997 and 2000. In 1978, Babcock and his wife wrote a book: ''Challenges: Above & Beyond.''

Illegal financial support of Nixon's Watergate fund

In September 1972, Armand Hammer made three illegal contributions totaling $54,000 to Richard Nixon's Watergate fund through friends of former Montana Governor Tim Babcock, who had been a vice president of Hammer's

, after which both Babcock and Hammer pleaded guilty to charges involving illegal contributions. In August 1989,

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

ed Hammer for the illegal contributions to aid Nixon's re-election in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

Personal life and death

Babcock purchased the Hauser Mansion in Helena in 1969. Built for Governor

Samuel Thomas Hauser Samuel Thomas Hauser (January 10, 1833 – November 10, 1914) was an American industrialist and banker who was active in the development of Montana Territory. He made his first fortune in silver mines and railroads, but he lost everything in th ...

, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On April 7, 2015, Babcock died in

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

, Montana, aged 95.

References

External links

National Governors AssociationMontana Historical Society
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Babcock, Tim 1919 births 2015 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American Presbyterians Republican Party governors of Montana Lieutenant Governors of Montana Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives People from Koochiching County, Minnesota United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Minnesota Writers from Minnesota Writers from Montana People from Glendive, Montana New Right (United States)