Warren McCray
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Warren Terry McCray (February 4, 1865 near
Brook, Indiana Brook is a town in Iroquois Township, Newton County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. History Brook was laid out in 1866. A post office has been in operation at the town since 1859. The George Ade Hou ...
– December 19, 1938 in
Kentland, Indiana Kentland is a town in Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, Newton County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,641 at the 2020 census. History The town was founded in 1860 as "Kent", ...
) was the 30th
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
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
from 1921 to 1924. He came into conflict with the growing influence of the
Indiana Ku Klux Klan The Indiana Klan was a branch of the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society in the United States that organized in 1915 to promote ideas of racial superiority and affect public affairs on issues of Prohibition, education, political corruption, and morali ...
after vetoing legislation they supported. His personal estate was threatened with bankruptcy during his term and he solicited loans via the mail in order to help maintain his home and took a questionable loan from the State Department of Agriculture. The
Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...
was a Klan member and used the opportunity to bring a suit against the governor for embezzlement for which he was found not guilty. Immediately after the embezzlement case failed, a new case was launched in federal court claiming he had solicited private loans in a fraudulent way. He resigned from office after his conviction for
mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activit ...
and served three years in
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before being paroled in 1927 and
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ed by
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Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
in 1930.


Early life


Family and background

Warren Terry McCray was born near
Brook, Indiana Brook is a town in Iroquois Township, Newton County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. History Brook was laid out in 1866. A post office has been in operation at the town since 1859. The George Ade Hou ...
, on February 4, 1865, to Greenberry Ward and Martha (Galey) McCray. His friends and family called him "Warnie". He had two sisters, Annie Eliza and Fannie. At age five he moved to
Kentland, Indiana Kentland is a town in Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, Newton County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,641 at the 2020 census. History The town was founded in 1860 as "Kent", ...
where he grew up attending a local public school. His father and uncle formed a successful
livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
business there. From an early age, McCray was encouraged to find a way to make money, and began growing vegetables and selling them door to door as a young boy. As he grew older he began taking care of cattle of townspeople who did not have enough land for them to graze. For a fee, he drove the cattle into a pasture outside of town during the day and returned them in the evening. In April 1874, his uncle died and his father took on new partners. They soon purchased the Discount and Deposit Bank of Kentland and began to accumulate considerable wealth. As a teenager, McCray took a job in the bank as a bookkeeper. After completing high school in 1882 his father offered to send him to college, but the young McCray choose to instead remain working at the bank. By 1885 he had grown tired of his banking job, and decided to go into business on his own. With a friend, Willis Kirkpatrick, he purchased a town grocery store which was immediately very profitable. He used his income from the store to invest in railroad and mining stock, but mostly to buy land. He also made a significant investment in grain elevators and became President of the National Grain Dealers Association. McCray soon owned a large tract of quality farmland surrounding a large pond outside of Kentland which he named Orchard Lake. He married Ella Ade, the daughter of one of his father's business partners and sister of writer
George Ade George Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, syndicated newspaper columnist, and playwright who gained national notoriety at the turn of the 20th century with his "Stories of the Streets and of the Town", a column that ...
, on June 15, 1892. The couple had four children, although one died as an infant. McCray became interested in breeding cattle and began building a herd of specialized breeds. His reputation in the cattle community grew rapidly and he established a show barn and auction house and began selling his quality bred cattle, quickly growing his fortune.Gugin, p. 262.


Local politics

McCray became involved in local civics organizations and served on the country school board for one term in 1890. A devastating fire struck Kentland a few years later, and the county placed him in charge of overseeing several projects to rebuilding the town. He gained a reputation for getting things done quickly and cost effectively, and ran for a seat on the town council the following year. There, he successfully advocated the modernization of the town by paving the roads, building an electric plant, installing street lighting, building safer railroad crossings, and several other projects. The tax increases needed to pay for the projects turned out to be too much, and he was voted out of office after one term. His activities gained him notice by the state party leaders who helped him to gain a seat on the state committee in the summer of 1896. He traveled to
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in 1901 to attend the inauguration of President
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
and came back convinced he should pursue politics. The same year he was appointed by Governor Winfield T. Durbin as a trustee of the Northern Hospital for the Insane, serving as treasurer. He remained on the board for twelve years. In 1912, he was appointed to the State Board of Agriculture, and became President of the board in 1915. His success at implementing reforms as a board member helped his popularity in the state.Gugin, p. 263.


State politics

McCray decided to run for governor in the 1916 Republican primary, but was defeated by the well connected former state party chairman,
James P. Goodrich James Putnam Goodrich, (February 18, 1864 – August 15, 1940), was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 29th governor of Indiana from 1917 to 1921. His term focused on reforming the operations of the ...
. McCray returned to his board duties, which expanded as
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broke out. Goodrich appointed him Chairman of the Food Conservation Committee of Indiana and a member of the United States Live Stock Advisory Committee to help ensure adequate army supplies and rationing during the war. In 1922 he became Chairman of the Corn Belt Advisory Committee of the War Finance Corporation which sought government assistance for farmers. McCray was also very involved with the
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
and led several fund raising drives to help the organization. In 1920 McCray considered running for governor in the Republican primary again, but decided against it and to instead support
Will H. Hays William Harrison Hays Sr. (; November 5, 1879 – March 7, 1954) was an American Republican politician. As chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1918–1921, Hays managed the successful 1920 presidential campaign of Warren G. Ha ...
in his run. Hays, however, announced he would not be running and instead backed McCray. In the primary, he ran against five other candidates, who attacked him primarily over his war record, as some Republicans were not supportive of the war effort, and for his business practices. The charges proved ineffective, and McCray won the primary defeating his closest competitor by over 50,000 votes.Gugin, p. 264.


Governor


Reforms

In the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, McCray was opposed by Democratic congressman Carleton B. McCulloch. McCulloch was a war veteran and a doctor and the campaign focused largely on the progressive agenda. The election was highly contested and remains the election with highest voter turnout in state history, most polling places having a turnout near 95%. The election was a landslide for Republicans across the board, as they increased majorities in both houses of the
Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. ...
. McCray came to office and in his inaugural address he all but declared an end to the
Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...
, stating that people demanded "a season of government economy and a period of legislative inaction and rest." He and the Republican majority in the General Assembly began rolling back several key regulatory laws and attempted to cut back on government spending. McCray focused attention on what he considered the useful and necessary state institutions and undertook an expansion of the education system by building dozens of new schools, constructing the first new state prisons in several decades, enlarging state hospitals, and building a new state
reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concerns ...
for juvenile delinquents. McCray began laying out plans for a grander state highway system to better accommodate the automobiles which were becoming commonplace. Among the roads he approved creation of was the
Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...
. To fund the road projects, the state introduced its first gasoline tax.


Ku Klux Klan

The
Indiana Ku Klux Klan The Indiana Klan was a branch of the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society in the United States that organized in 1915 to promote ideas of racial superiority and affect public affairs on issues of Prohibition, education, political corruption, and morali ...
had been rising in power over the past decade in Indiana. Although it was unknown to McCray at the time, over half the members of the Indiana General Assembly were klansmen. Several members of the administration were also klansmen including
Indiana Secretary of State Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...
Edward L. Jackson Edward L. Jackson (December 27, 1873 – November 18, 1954) was an American attorney, judge and politician, elected the 32nd governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from January 12, 1925, to January 14, 1929. He had also been elected as Secretar ...
. In 1921, the General Assembly passed a bill to approve a "Klan Day" at the state fair, complete with cross-burnings and other Klan trappings. McCray promptly vetoed the bill, angering Klan leaders.Gugin, p. 265. The Klan gained even more influence in the government in the following year, and Edward Jackson granted the Klan a state charter and officially recognized their organization. McCray was angry with Jackson over the action, and demanded it be rescinded and threatened to take the measure to court, claiming that no organization could receive a charter unless its leaders would reveal themselves and sign the charter.
Grand Dragon Ku Klux Klan (KKK) nomenclature has evolved over the order's nearly 160 years of existence. The titles and designations were first laid out in the original Klan's prescripts of 1867 and 1868, then revamped with William J. Simmons's ''Kloran'' of 1 ...
D.C. Stephenson David Curtis "Steve" Stephenson (August 21, 1891 – June 28, 1966) was an American Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader, convicted rapist and murderer. In 1923 he was appointed Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan and head of Klan recruiting for seven other ...
ordered Jackson to offer McCray a bribe to change his mind. Jackson offered McCray US$10,000 if he would fill several public offices with Klan members. McCray, a millionaire, declined the bribe and was offended. The dealing was behind the scenes and not made public.Gugin, p. 278.


Loan scandal

Land values in Indiana collapsed during the early 1920s and severely hurt McCray's financial position because of his large involvement in land speculation. Although he owned nearly $3 million in assets, he was faced with bankruptcy, but was disturbed at the thought of losing his beloved farm. He took a loan from the State Agricultural Board for $155,000 and deposited into his personal account to cover his debts. He then began soliciting loans from banks by creating fake
promissory note A promissory note, sometimes referred to as a note payable, is a legal instrument (more particularly, a financing instrument and a debt instrument), in which one party (the ''maker'' or ''issuer'') promises in writing to pay a determinate sum of ...
s and using them as collateral. Bank officials later claimed that they were coerced by the governor, who hinted that he would remove state deposits if they did not grant him the loans. Klan members soon found out about McCray's dealings and decided to use the situation to force him out of office. The
Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...
brought McCray up on charges of embezzlement regarding the loan he took from the agricultural board. By then, however, he had already repaid the loan to the board with the help of several friends. The case ended in a hung jury on April 11, 1924. On April 21, he was brought up on mail fraud charges after it was alleged he had mailed the fake promissory notes to several banks. During the trial, he admitted his entire scheme but declared he intended to repay all of the debts and had no criminal intentions. He was soon convicted and sentenced to serve ten years in prison, and he resigned on April 30 and was promptly arrested. The same day,
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 ...
Emmett Forrest Branch Emmett Forest Branch (May 16, 1874 – February 23, 1932) was an American banker, politician and the List of governors of Indiana, 31st Governor of Indiana, governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1924 to 1925, serving the remainder of the ter ...
was sworn in as governor. A close friend of McCray, he cried while taking the oath of office and later said that everything was so "sudden and surprising."Gugin, p. 270


Later life

After serving three years in the
federal penitentiary The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correctio ...
in
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, he was paroled and returned home in 1927. While in prison, the Indiana Klan fell apart as their schemes were revealed by the
Grand Dragon Ku Klux Klan (KKK) nomenclature has evolved over the order's nearly 160 years of existence. The titles and designations were first laid out in the original Klan's prescripts of 1867 and 1868, then revamped with William J. Simmons's ''Kloran'' of 1 ...
after he was convicted of the rape and murder of
Madge Oberholtzer Madge Augustine Oberholtzer (November 10, 1896 – April 14, 1925) was a white American woman whose rape and murder played a critical role in the demise of the second incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan. In March 1925, while working for the state ...
. McCray resumed his business, which had recovered and repaid his loans though he remained reclusive in his home. When Republican party leaders informed
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
in 1930 of the Klan's role in McCray's conviction, he received a presidential pardon. McCray remained on his farm where he died on December 19, 1938. He was buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Kentland, Indiana.Gugin, p. 266.


Electoral history


See also

*
List of governors of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the executive branch of Government of Indiana, Indiana's state government and is charged with enforcing state law ...
*
List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States #REDIRECT List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States #REDIRECT List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States {{R from move ...
{{R from move ...


References

Notes Bibliography *


External links


Indiana Historical Bureau: Biography and portraitNational Governors AssociationWarren McCray at FindAGraveWarren T. McCray Collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCray, Warren T. 1865 births 1938 deaths American Presbyterians Republican Party governors of Indiana People from Newton County, Indiana Recipients of American presidential pardons People from Kentland, Indiana Indiana politicians convicted of crimes 20th-century American politicians