Silas A. Holcomb

Silas A. Holcomb
9th Governor of Nebraska
In office
January 3, 1895  January 5, 1899
Lieutenant Robert E. Moore
James E. Harris
Edward A. Gilbert
Preceded by Lorenzo Crounse
Succeeded by William A. Poynter
Personal details
Born August 25, 1858
Gibson County, Indiana, U.S,
Died April 25, 1920(1920-04-25) (aged 61)
Broken Bow, Nebraska, U.S,
Nationality American
Political party Peoples
Spouse(s) Alice Brinson
Religion Baptist

Silas Alexander Holcomb (August 25, 1858 April 25, 1920) was a Nebraska lawyer and politician elected as the ninth Governor of Nebraska and serving from 1895 to 1899. He ran under a fusion ticket between the Populist and the Democratic Party.

Holcomb was born in Gibson County, Indiana, helped on the family farm and went to the local schools in winter. At age seventeen, he began to teach school. After his father's death in 1878, he moved with mother and siblings to Hamilton County, Nebraska in 1879. He worked in Thummel & Platt law office in Grand Island and was admitted to the Nebraska bar in 1882.[1] On April 13, 1882, he married Martha Alice Brinson in Mills County, Iowa.[2] They moved to Broken Bow where he farmed and practiced law.

Career

From 1891 to 1894, Holcomb served as a 12th District judge. In 1894, with the support of William Jennings Bryan, he was elected Governor of Nebraska. He was re-elected in 1896. During his tenure, sounder financial policies were initiated and corruption and mismanagement in the state treasurer's office was addressed; reforms in state government programs were initiated.[3] Following his years as governor, Holcomb was appointed a justice on the Nebraska Supreme Court in 1900. From 1904 to 1906, he served as chief justice. He left the Court in 1906, but then he served on the Nebraska Board of Commissioners of State Institutions from 1913 until his failing health made it necessary for him to resign.[4]

Death

Holcomb moved to Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his daughter until his death on April 25, 1920. Holcomb's body was returned to Nebraska and he is interred at Broken Bow Cemetery, Broken Bow, Custer County, Nebraska USA.[5]

References

  1. "Silas A. Holcomb". Semi-Centennial History of Nebraska. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  2. "Silas Alexander Holcomb". The Encyclopedia of Nebraska. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  3. "Silas A. Holcomb". National Governors Association. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. "Silas A. Holcomb". The Encyclopedia of Nebraska. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. "Silas A. Holcomb". Find A Grave. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
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Political offices
Preceded by
Lorenzo Crounse
Governor of Nebraska
1895–1899
Succeeded by
William A. Poynter
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