William Rock Painter (August 27, 1863 – July 1, 1947) was a Democratic politician from the state of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He was the state's 28th

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 ...

and later a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Personal history

William R. Painter was born in

Carroll County, Missouri Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,495. Its county seat is Carrollton. The county was organized on January 2, 1833, from part of Ray County and named for C ...

. He received his higher education at the Missouri School of Mines (now known as

Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology, or Missouri S&T, is a public research university in Rolla, Missouri. It is a member institution of the University of Missouri System. Most of its 7,645 students (fall 2020) study engineering, busin ...

) and following graduation worked as a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. In 1894 Painter left the engineering field to become editor and publisher of the ''Daily and Weekly Democrat'', newspaper in Carroll County.''Fighting Faiths: the Abrams case, the Supreme Court, and free speech'' by

Richard Polenberg Richard Polenberg (1937-2020) was an American historian. Background Richard Polenberg was born on July 21, 1937. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Columbia University, the la ...

Cornell University Press The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in th ...

, 1999. Painter married Cora Herndon January 12, 1888. They had three daughters and two sons. Painter died in July 1947 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Carrollton, Missouri.

Political history

William R. Painter was elected Missouri Lieutenant Governor in November 1912, and served in that office from January 1913 to January 1917. Soon after leaving office he was appointed as chairman of the (Missouri) Prison Board in 1917. and even served as prison warden for a period of nearly ten months in 1917. Painter finished his political career as state Senator from the Missouri 8th District, a position he held until 1930.

References

1863 births 1947 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Missouri Democratic Party Missouri state senators American civil engineers Missouri University of Science and Technology alumni People from Carroll County, Missouri 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American male journalists 19th-century American engineers Journalists from Missouri Engineers from Missouri 20th-century American politicians {{Missouri-politician-stub