Henry Wilder Keyes (; May 23, 1863June 19, 1938) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Haverhill, New Hampshire Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,585 at the 2020 census. Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the dis ...

. He served as the 56th governor of New Hampshire from 1917 to 1919 and as a United States Senator.

Early life

Keyes was born in Newbury, Vermont on May 23, 1863. He was raised in New Hampshire, and his father was a prominent farmer, merchant, and railroad investor. Keyes graduated from

Adams Academy Adams Academy was a school that opened in 1872 in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. John Adams, the second President of the United States, had many years before established the Adams Temple and School Fund. This fund gave of land to the peopl ...

, and then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, from which he graduated in 1887. He was a farmer and cattle breeder, and initiated raising of the Holstein-Friesian breed in the United States. He was also a founder of the Woodsville National Bank, and served as its president.

Politics

Keyes served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895. He served in the

New Hampshire State Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population ...

from 1903 to 1905. He was treasurer of the State license commission from 1903 to 1915, and chairman of the State excise commission from 1915 to 1917. from 1915 to 1917 he served again in the state House of Representatives. In 1916 he was elected Governor of New Hampshire, and he served one term, 1917 to 1919. Keyes ran successfully for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1918. He was reelected in 1924 and 1930 and served from March 4, 1919, to January 3, 1937. he did not run for reelection in 1937. As a senator, he was noted for not speaking on the floor, even nodding or shaking his head to vote "aye" or "nay." The one exception was his motion to adjourn during a long winded speech by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Pat Harrison. During his Senate career, Keyes served as chairman of: the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Sixty-sixth Congress); Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses (Sixty-eighth and Sixty-ninth Congresses); and Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds (Seventieth through Seventy-second Congresses).

Personal

In 1904, Keyes married Frances Parkinson Wheeler, who as Frances Parkinson Keyes became a prolific author. He was forty, she was eighteen. They had three sons together—Henry Wilder Keyes, Jr., John Parkinson Keyes, and Francis Keyes. Keyes died on June 19, 1938 in

North Haverhill, New Hampshire North Haverhill is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire, Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is one of se ...

, and is buried at the Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury, Vermont. He was the recipient of an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

of Master of Arts from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

and was also as honorary Bachelor of Science and

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (now the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, Henry 1863 births 1938 deaths Republican Party governors of New Hampshire Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Republican Party New Hampshire state senators People from Haverhill, New Hampshire Harvard University alumni Dartmouth College alumni People from Newbury, Vermont Republican Party United States senators from New Hampshire Burials in Vermont