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Simeon Slavens Willis (December 1, 1879April 1, 1965) was the 46th Governor of Kentucky, United States, serving from 1943 to 1947. He was the only Republican elected governor of Kentucky between 1927 and 1967.〔Powell, p. 98〕 Willis's family came to Kentucky from Ohio about 1889. After briefly working in the education and journalism fields, Willis read law with private tutors and was admitted to the bar in 1901. He became interested in politics, but his early races for office were unsuccessful with the exception of his four-year stint as city solicitor for Ashland, Kentucky. Finally in 1927, newly elected governor Flem D. Sampson appointed Willis to the Kentucky Court of Appeals—then the court of last resort in the state. Willis went on to win a full four-year term on the court in 1928, and distinguished himself by revising ''Thornton on the Law of Oil and Gas'', a six-volume law reference. He was defeated for re-election to his seat in 1932 and returned to his law practice. After a decade out of politics, Willis was chosen without opposition as the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1943. Infighting among the state's Democrats combined with Willis's popular proposal to eliminate the state income tax carried him to a narrow victory over J. Lyter Donaldson. Willis was opposed by Democratic majorities in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly. The end of World War II in 1945 brought sizable budget surpluses to the state, and disagreements over how to spend the excess funds spilled over into special legislative sessions. Willis was not able to realize his campaign promise of eliminating the state income tax because the legislature expanded the budget far beyond what he proposed. Nevertheless, he was able to forge a record of modest accomplishments, including constructing five tuberculosis hospitals across the state and significantly increasing funding for education. Following his term as governor, he served on various state boards and commissions, but failed in his only attempt to return to elective office—a 1952 campaign against Bert T. Combs to return to the Court of Appeals. Willis died on April 1, 1965, and is interred at Frankfort Cemetery in the capital city of Frankfort. ==Early life== Simeon S. Willis was born in Lawrence County, Ohio, on December 1, 1879.〔"Kentucky Governor Simeon Slavens Willis"〕 He was the youngest of nine children born to John H. and Abigail (Slavens) Willis.〔Klotter in ''Kentucky's Governors'', p. 181〕 During the Civil War, his grandfather William Willis was captain of Company C of the 5th West Virginia Infantry of the Union Army, and John H. Willis was a corporal in that company.〔Jillson, p. 5〕 Later, John Willis became a pioneer in the charcoal industry in Ohio.〔Connelley, p. 577〕 Willis obtained his early education in the public schools of Lawrence County.〔 About 1889, his family moved to Springville (now South Portsmouth) in Greenup County, Kentucky.〔 There, he attended the public schools, and took a teacher-training course at a local private school.〔 Before age 20, he was selected principal of a three-room grade school in Springville.〔 Willis also worked as a reporter for the ''Portsmouth Tribune'' and an editorial writer for the ''Greenup Gazette''.〔 He simultaneously read law with private tutors, including future congressman Joseph Bentley Bennett and William Corn, a professor at Ada University.〔 He was admitted to the bar on November 11, 1901, and in January 1902, he established a law practice in Ashland.〔〔Harrison in ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'', p. 958〕 Soon after, he joined Hager and Stewart, a prominent law firm in the area, where he remained for six years.〔 Thereafter, he returned to his own practice.〔 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「Simeon S. Willis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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