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Samuel W. McCall

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Samuel Walker McCall
McCall circa 1920
47thGovernor of Massachusetts
In office
January 6, 1916 – January 2, 1919
LieutenantCalvin Coolidge
Preceded byDavid I. Walsh
Succeeded byCalvin Coolidge
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
fromMassachusetts's8thdistrict
In office
March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913
Preceded byMoses T. Stevens
Succeeded byFrederick S. Deitrick
Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1889–1892
Personal details
Born
Samuel Walker McCall

February 28, 1851
East Providence Township, Pennsylvania
DiedNovember 4, 1923 (aged 72)
Winchester, Massachusetts
Resting placeWildwood Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Alma materDartmouth College(AB)

Samuel Walker McCall(February 28, 1851 – November 4, 1923) was an AmericanRepublicanlawyer, politician, and writer fromMassachusetts.He was for twenty years (1893–1913) a member of theUnited States House of Representatives,and the47thGovernor of Massachusetts,serving three one-year terms (1916–1919). He was a moderately progressive Republican who sought to counteract the influence of money in politics.

Born inPennsylvaniaand educated atDartmouth,he settled in Massachusetts, where he entered local politics on a progressive reform agenda. Elected to Congress, he continued his reform activities, and opposed annexation of thePhilippines.He did not join theProgressive Party,but was insufficiently conservative for state party leaders, who denied him election to theUnited States Senateon two occasions. As governor, he directed the state's actions duringWorld War I,and orchestrated early aid toHalifax,Nova Scotiafollowing adevastating munitions ship explosionthere in 1917.

Early years and education

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Samuel Walker McCall was born inEast Providence Township, Pennsylvaniaon February 28, 1851, to Henry and Mary Ann (Elliott) McCall, the sixth of eleven children.[1]At a young age, the family moved to an undeveloped frontier area of northernIllinois,where McCall spent much of his childhood.[2]McCall's father speculated in real estate and owned a stove factory, which was closed by financial reverses of thePanic of 1857.[3]His education began at theMount Carroll Seminary(nowShimer College) inMount Carrollfrom 1864 to 1866,[4]when that school closed to male students.[5]

McCall's parents then sent him east to theNew Hampton AcademyinNew Hampton, New Hampshire,on the recommendation of a neighbor.[4]McCall graduated from New Hampton Academy in 1870 and subsequently attendedDartmouth College,where he was a member of theKappa Kappa Kappafraternity and graduatedPhi Beta Kappanear the top of his class. While at Dartmouth, he published a newspaper (self-financed by himself and the other editors) called theAnvil,and was tapped by the Dartmouth president to stand in for a sick teacher ofLatinandGreekat an academy inMeriden, New Hampshire.[6]TheAnvilwas one of the first student-run newspapers to comment on national and state politics.[7]

After graduating, McCall moved toWorcester, Massachusetts,where he studied law and gained admission to the Massachusetts Bar.[8]He then opened a law practice inBostonwith a Dartmouth classmate,[9]which he maintained for most of his life.[8]In 1888, he and two partners purchased theBoston Daily Advertiser,for which he served as editor-in-chief for two years.[7]In 1881 he married Ella Esther Thompson, whom he met while attending New Hampton Academy;[10]they settled inWinchester, Massachusetts,[7]where they raised five children.[8]

Legislative career

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McCall was elected a member of theMassachusetts House of Representativesin 1887, serving three terms in 1888, 1889, and 1892.[7]Politically a reform-mindedMugwump(he had supported DemocratGrover Clevelandin1884), he introduced legislation to govern so-called "corrupt practices" of elected officials, intended to reduce the influence of money and favors in politics.[11][12]The legislation failed to pass the legislature until 1892.[13]He also supported legislation abolishingimprisonment for debt.[7]He was a delegate to theRepublican National Conventionin 1888,[14]and served as the state's ballot commissioner in 1890 and 1891.[7]

In 1892, McCall was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives,a seat he would occupy for twenty years,[15]generally winning reelection by large margins.[7][16]As he had in the state legislature, he introduced a corrupt practices act into Congress. In April 1898, McCall was among the six representatives who voted againstdeclaring war on Spain.In foreign policy, he was anti-imperialist, arguing for the independence of thePhilippinesafter theSpanish–American War,[17]and opposed theDingley Tariff,arguing its rates were too high. He was one of the few representatives opposed to theHepburn Act,which enabled theInterstate Commerce Commissionto regulate railroad rates.[7][18]He had a reputation as a bit of a maverick, because he often strayed from the Republican party line, but he maintained a generally conservative voting record, and introduced little new legislation.[7]

In 1912, McCall refused to stand for reelection, and was instead considered by the state legislature for election to theUnited States Senatein early 1913, to succeed the outgoing SenatorWinthrop Murray Crane.His opponent,John W. Weeks,was more conservative Republican who had the support of most of the Crane-dominated state party apparatus. The contest was bitterly divisive, an echo of theProgressive Partysplit that damaged the party at the national level, and was narrowly won by Weeks,[19]even though McCall led in the party caucus balloting for the first three ballots.[7]

Governor of Massachusetts

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Governor McCall in 1916

McCall was chosen by the party in 1914 as its nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts,as a unifying force between the more progressive and conservative wings of the party. Running against the popular Democratic incumbentDavid I. Walshon a progressive platform, McCall was narrowly defeated,[20]with the Republican votes split due to the presence of aProgressive Partycandidate on the ballot.[7]McCall was nominated again in 1915, with the Republicans deliberately courting the Progressive vote by calling for a stateconstitutional convention.[7]In a rematch with Walsh, he was this time victorious. He served three consecutive terms, with future PresidentCalvin Coolidgeas his lieutenant governor. In each election, Coolidge won more votes than McCall did, and theBoston Transcriptcredited at least one of his victories to Coolidge's drawing power.[21]

Governor McCall speaking inVineyard Haven, Massachusetts,with Lt. GovernorCalvin Coolidgein background (1918)
McCall viewing reconstruction efforts in visitingHalifax, Nova Scotia,after theHalifax Explosion(November 1918)

TheMassachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917–1918was the major political event of McCall's tenure. The convention proposed a number of reforms, most of which were adopted by the voters. State commissions and agencies were streamlined, andinitiative and referendummeasures were added tothe state constitution.Elections for statewide offices were changed from annual to biennial, beginning in 1920. Legislative reforms proposed by McCall to the state legislature were only partially adopted; proposals reforming state insurance and the public pension program were left in the legislature, and his proposal to abolish capital punishment also failed.[22]

AnticipatingAmerican entry into World War Iin early 1917, McCall formed the Massachusetts Public Safety Commission,[23]an emergency response and relief organization that was the first of its type in the nation.[24]Coordinating a wide array of public and charitable organizations and major businesses, the commission played a significant role in providing relief and other services until it was disbanded in 1918.[25]One of its most important actions was coordinating the state's response to theHalifax Explosionof December 6, 1917. With only fragmentary reports received early after a blast devastated theNova Scotiacity ofHalifax,McCall called the committee into action, and offered unlimited assistance to the stricken city.[24]The state organized a major relief train (even before the full extent of the disaster was known) that was among the first to reach Halifax, and the committee's representatives assisted in organizing relief activities on the ground.[26]Temporary housing built in Halifax was named in McCall's honor,[27]and the state's relief efforts continue to be recognized today by Nova Scotia's annualgift of a Christmas treeto the city of Boston.[28]

In 1918, McCall decided not to run for reelection, and again stood for the United States Senate. In a party nomination rematch with Weeks, he abandoned the campaign after it became clear the conservative Crane wing of the party was standing with Weeks. The seat ended up being won by ex-Governor Walsh in a Democratic upset.[29]In the general election, McCall refused to campaign on Weeks' behalf, a move that contributed to the end of his political career. In 1920, he was nominated by PresidentWoodrow Wilsonfor a seat on theUnited States Tariff Commission;the nomination was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate.[22]

Later years

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McCall was engaged in literary pursuits for much of his public career, writing in various newspapers and magazines. Following his exit from politics he continued to do so, writing for theAtlantic Monthlymagazine, and working on political biographies. His published writings include biographies of his mentorThomas Brackett Reed,and ofPennsylvania congressmanThaddeus Stevens.Additionally, he was working in a biography ofDaniel Websterat the time of his death.[22]

McCall died in Winchester on November 4, 1923. His interment was inWildwood Cemetery.[30]Winchester's McCall Middle School is named in his honor. McCall's grandson,Tom McCall,was a two-term RepublicanGovernor of Oregon,serving from 1967 to 1975.[31]

See also

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Biographical works

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  • McCall, Samuel W. (1914).The Life of Thomas Brackett Reed.New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Legacy and honors

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References

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  1. ^Evans, p. 2
  2. ^Evans, p. 3
  3. ^Gentile, p. 835
  4. ^abEvans, p. 7
  5. ^The History of Carroll County, Illinois.H.F. Kett & Co. 1878.
  6. ^Evans, pp. 14–16
  7. ^abcdefghijklGentile, p. 836
  8. ^abcToomey & Quinn, p. 109
  9. ^Evans, p. 18
  10. ^Evans, p. 10
  11. ^Sobel, p. 89
  12. ^Abrams, p. 270
  13. ^Evans, pp. 24, 27
  14. ^Evans, p. 23
  15. ^Evans, p. 28
  16. ^"S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903".GovInfo.gov.U.S. Government Printing Office. 9 November 1903. pp. 49–50.Retrieved2 July2023.
  17. ^Abrams, p. 30
  18. ^Abrams, pp. 126–127
  19. ^Sobel, pp. 78–79
  20. ^Sobel, pp. 89–90
  21. ^Sobel, pp. 101, 107-109
  22. ^abcGentile, p. 837
  23. ^Lyman, p. 3
  24. ^abMacDonald, p. 105
  25. ^See Lyman for a description of the commission activities.
  26. ^MacDonald, pp. 105-106, 142, 173-183
  27. ^"Visit of Governor Samuel W. McCall of Massachusetts to Halifax, November 8-10, 1918".Nova Scotia Archives.Retrieved2016-06-30.
  28. ^MacDonald, pp. 273-274
  29. ^Sobel, pp. 109-110
  30. ^United States Congress."Samuel W. McCall (id: M000305)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  31. ^"Governor Tom McCall's Administration".Oregon State Archives.Retrieved2016-08-20.
  32. ^American Antiquarian Society Members Directory

Sources

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Party political offices
Preceded by Republicannominee forGovernor of Massachusetts
1914,1915,1916,1917 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of theU.S. House of Representatives
fromMassachusetts's 8th congressional district
March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1913 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Massachusetts
1916–1919 		Succeeded by
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