Arthur Yager (October 29, 1858 – December 24, 1941) served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1913 to 1921.

Biography

Yager was born in Campbellsburg in Henry County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...

in Kentucky, and a doctorate from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. Yager then became a professor of history, economics, and politics at Georgetown College while becoming active in politics. He served as President of Georgetown College from 1908 to 1913. In 1913,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, a fellow

Democrat 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 ...

who had been a classmate of Yager's when both attended

, appointed Yager to the governorship of Puerto Rico. During Yager's administration, and with his support, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

adopted the Jones-Shafroth Act (also called Jones Act) of 1917, which conferred

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

on Puerto Ricans. Yager served as governor until Wilson's presidency expired. He was succeeded by Emmet Montgomery Reily, an appointee of President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

. Yager returned to Kentucky, where he died in Pewee Valley at the age of 83. A collection of Yager's correspondence from his time as Governor is archived at the Filson Historical Society in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

and open for research.

References

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External links

Yager Collection at Georgetown College

1858 births 1941 deaths People from Henry County, Kentucky Kentucky Democrats Governors of Puerto Rico Presidents of Georgetown College (Kentucky) Georgetown College (Kentucky) faculty Georgetown College (Kentucky) alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni {{LouisvilleMSA-stub