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John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham (August 5, 1869 – January 9, 1940) was the 35th Governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky. He was the state's first popularly elected senator following passage of the Seventeenth Amendment. Descended from a prominent political family, Beckham was chosen as Democrat William Goebel's running mate in the gubernatorial election of 1899 despite the fact that he was not yet of legal age to serve as governor if called to do so. Goebel lost the election to Republican William S. Taylor, but the Kentucky General Assembly disputed the election results. During the political wrangling that followed, an unknown assassin shot Goebel. A day later the General Assembly invalidated enough votes to give the election to Goebel, who was sworn into office on his deathbed. Taylor claimed the election had been stolen by the Democratic majority in the General Assembly and a legal fight ensued between him and Beckham over the governorship. Beckham ultimately prevailed and Taylor fled the state. Following his term as governor, Beckham made a bid to become a U.S. Senator. His stance in favor of prohibition cost him the votes of four legislators in his own party and the seat went to Republican William O. Bradley. Six years later Beckham secured the seat by popular election, but he lost his re-election bid largely because of his pro-temperance views and his opposition to women's suffrage. Though he continued to play an active role in state politics for another two decades, he never returned to elected office, failing in his gubernatorial bid in 1927 and his senatorial campaign in 1936. He died in Louisville on January 9, 1940. ==Early life== J. C. W. Beckham was born at Wickland, near Bardstown in Nelson County, Kentucky, son of William Netherton and Julia Tevis (Wickliffe) Beckham.〔"Beckham, John Crepps Wickliffe"〕〔Harrison, p. 65〕 His maternal grandfather, Charles A. Wickliffe, was governor of Kentucky from 1839 to 1840 and served as postmaster general in the administration of John Tyler.〔Burckel in ''Kentucky's Governors'', p. 137〕 His uncle, Robert C. Wickliffe, served as governor of Louisiana.〔 Beckham obtained his early education at Roseland Academy in Bardstown.〔 In 1881 he served as a page in the Kentucky House of Representatives at the age of 12.〔Burckel in ''Register'', p. 288〕 Later, he enrolled at Central University (now Eastern Kentucky University) in Richmond, Kentucky but was forced to quit school at the age of 17 to support his widowed mother.〔〔Finch, p. 38〕 Two years later, he became principal of Bardstown public schools, serving from 1888 to 1893.〔 Concurrently, he studied law at the University of Kentucky, where he earned his law degree in 1889.〔"Kentucky Governor John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham"〕 He was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Bardstown in 1893.〔 He also served as president of the Young Democrats' Club of Nelson County.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「J. C. W. Beckham」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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