Henry Wilder Keyes (/ˈkaɪz/;[1] May 23, 1863 – June 19, 1938) was an American Republican politician from Haverhill, New Hampshire. He served as the 56th governor of New Hampshire from 1917 to 1919 and as a United States Senator.
Henry Wilder Keyes | |
|---|---|
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| 56th Governor of New Hampshire | |
| In office January 2, 1917 – January 6, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Rolland H. Spaulding |
| Succeeded by | John H. Bartlett |
| United States Senator from New Hampshire | |
| In office March 4, 1919 – January 3, 1937 | |
| Preceded by | Henry F. Hollis |
| Succeeded by | Styles Bridges |
| Member of the New Hampshire Senate | |
| In office 1903–1905 | |
| Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | |
| In office 1891–1895 1915–1917 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 23, 1863 Newbury, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 1938 (aged 75) Haverhill, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Early life
editKeyes 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, and then attended Harvard University, 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.[2]
Politics
editKeyes served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895. He served in the New Hampshire State Senate 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.[3]
In 1916 he was elected Governor of New Hampshire, and he served one term, 1917 to 1919.[4]
Keyes ran successfully for the United States Senate in 1918. He was reelected in 1924 and 1930 and served from March 4, 1919, to January 3, 1937. He did not seek another term in the 1936 election.[3] 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.[5]
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).[6]
Personal
editIn 1904, Keyes married Frances Parkinson Wheeler, who as Frances Parkinson Keyes became a prolific author.[4] 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, and is buried at the Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury, Vermont.
He was the recipient of an honorary degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College and was also as honorary Bachelor of Science and LL.D. of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (now the University of New Hampshire).
References
edit- ^ Ray, Duckler (December 2, 2012). "Former governor Keyes portrait to finally hang at State House". Concord Monitor. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
- ^ Sobel, Robert; Raimo, John, eds. (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Vol. 3. Westport, Conn.: Meckler Books. pp. 988–989. ISBN 9780930466008.
- ^ a b "Henry W. Keyes, A Guide to Likenesses of New Hampshire Officials and Governors on Public Display at the Legislative Office Building and the State House Concord, New Hampshire, to 1998, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources". www.nh.gov. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Frances Matilda (1919). One thousand New Hampshire notables. Rumford printing Company.
- ^ Eliot, Thomas H. (1960-08-01). "The Social Security Bill: 25 Years After". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ "KEYES, Henry Wilder". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-14.