William Judson Holloway (December 15, 1888 – January 28, 1970) was an American principal,

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, and politician who served as the fourth

lieutenant governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resi ...

from 1927 to 1929. Following

Henry S. Johnston Henry Simpson Johnston (December 30, 1867 – January 7, 1965) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a delegate to the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention, the first president pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, and the seventh gover ...

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

and removal from office, Holloway became the eighth governor of Oklahoma. Prior to becoming governor, Holloway was a Hugo schoolteacher, a state senator and

President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-rank ...

. As governor he was responsible for reforming Oklahoma's election laws and addressing transportation problems. Holloway died in 1970 in Oklahoma City. His son, William Judson Holloway Jr., was a United States federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Early life and career

William Judson Holloway was born on December 15, 1888, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.Burke, Bob
HOLLOWAY, WILLIAM JUDSON (1888-1970)

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
(accessed July 16, 2013) Holloway's father, a Baptist pastor, sent him to Ouachita Baptist College (now Ouachita Baptist University).Biographical Note William Holloway
Oklahoma Department of Libraries. (accessed July 16, 2013) After receiving his degree in 1910, Holloway traveled to Illinois to study at the University of Chicago. After completing his education, Holloway moved his family to Hugo, Oklahoma where he became the principal of a local high school. While in Hugo, Holloway began to study law. Admitted to Cumberland School of Law in 1914, he went on to earn a law degree and return to practice in Hugo. In 1916, running on the

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

ticket, Holloway became the county attorney for Choctaw County, Oklahoma. On June 16, 1917, Holloway married Hugo schoolteacher Amy Arnold. Holloway volunteered for officers' training school in World War I, but the war ended before he could serve. In 1920, he was elected to the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution. In 1925, he was elected by his fellow state senators as

. Holloway had only served two years of his second term when he ran on the Democratic ticket for election of the

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resi ...

. At the time, the office was vacant following the succession of former Lieutenant Governor

Martin E. Trapp Martin Edwin Trapp (April 18, 1877 – July 26, 1951) was an American state auditor, governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma's third Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, lieutenant governor, he was the first to beco ...

to the governorship after Governor

John C. Walton John Calloway Walton (March 6, 1881 – November 25, 1949) was an American politician and the fifth governor of Oklahoma. He served the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state's history to be removed from ...

's removal from office.WALTON, JOHN CALLOWAYEncyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
(accessed July 16, 2013) His six years of experience as a state senator, and his reputation as a friend to teachers and education reform, earned Holloway the election and with the usual result of 55.7% (197,783 votes) for a Democratic candidate, easily beating Republican W. S. Caldwell, he became the fourth

Governor of Oklahoma

During the first session of the

12th Oklahoma Legislature The Twelfth Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The state legislature met in Oklahoma City, in regular session from J ...

in 1929, the House brought official

charges against Johnston.JOHNSTON, HENRY SIMPSONEncyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
(accessed July 17, 2013) Effective January 21, Holloway officially became acting governor. Once Johnston was removed on March 20, Holloway was elevated from acting governor to the office of eighth Governor of Oklahoma. Like Governor

before him, Holloway would become the second lieutenant governor in the state's history to become the governor following impeachment. With an administration beginning in the middle of great government distrust, Holloway worked to silence political unrest and to restore faith in the state government. In the

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

footsteps of his early predecessors, Holloway passed laws redefining child labor limits and instituted a new mining code which improved health and safety regulations. Also in progressive manner, Holloway instituted a statewide Temperance Day in public schools on the Friday nearest January 16. Due to the increased number of automobiles on Oklahoma's highways, public safety issues were being raised. In response, Holloway mandated a statewide speed limit of 45 miles-per-hour. Holloway also reduced the Oklahoma Highway Commission, created by governor Trapp, from five members to three. An issue that Holloway dealt with head on was the western boundary of Oklahoma. Holloway called a special session of the

on May 16, 1929. The state legislature adjourned on July 5, with the resolution of acquiring toll bridges along the border. Holloway's most important reform came in his administration's changing of Oklahoma's election laws. The governor instituted the runoff primary for the first time. This required a candidate to hold a clear majority in a party in order to run on the party's ticket. On October 29, 1929, Holloway's administration, as well as the rest of the world, would face a new problem. When Wall Street crashed, Oklahoma, and the United States, was thrown into the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Until this point, Holloway had vowed to keep the state's expenditures under $30,000,000 in his two years of Governorship. With Oklahoma already $2,000,000 in debt, the Depression only made matters worse. Holloway was forced to spend more money than the state's revenues allowed in order to prevent a total collapse of the state government and private businesses. This would continue until the end of his term. In 1930, the colorful and popular Democrat

William H. Murray William Henry Davis "Alfalfa Bill" Murray (November 21, 1869 – October 15, 1956) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician who became active in Oklahoma before statehood as legal adviser to Governor Douglas H. Johnston of the Chic ...

was elected to replace Holloway. Holloway officially left office on January 12, 1931, as Murray was inaugurated as the ninth Governor of Oklahoma.

Late life and legacy

After leaving office, Holloway would move to Oklahoma City where he would practice law until his death on January 28, 1970, at the age of 81. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Oklahoma City. Holloway's son, William Judson Holloway Jr., was a United States federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

State of the State speeches

First State of the State Speech

Second State of the State Speech

References

External links

* ttp://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4591 Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
Sooner Genealogy entry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, William 1888 births 1970 deaths People from Arkadelphia, Arkansas University of Chicago alumni People from Hugo, Oklahoma American school principals Cumberland University alumni Oklahoma lawyers Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators Lieutenant Governors of Oklahoma Democratic Party governors of Oklahoma 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers