Governor of Kentucky
Owsley returned to the state House in 1831, and served in the state senate from 1832 to 1834. He also served as a presidential elector for Henry Clay in 1833. When James Turner Morehead ascended to the governorship upon the death of John Breathitt, he appointed Owsley Secretary of State for his shortened term from 1834 to 1836. In 1843, Owsley retired from the practice of law and purchased a farm in Boyle County.
In 1844, Owsley was elected governor on the Whig ticket, defeating Democrat William O. Butler by a vote of 59,792 to 55,089. A fiscal conservative, Owsley reduced the state's deficit slightly, and was reluctant to rebuild the state penitentiary, which was damaged by fire. Despite his reluctance to spend, he urged the General Assembly to increase funding for public education. "Nothing but money will do it," proclaimed Owsley, "and it is left to the appropriate department – the legislature – to determine on the expediency or inexpediency of raising it." In response, the Assembly passed only a small tax to benefit public education. Education made progress during Owsley's tenure, largely due to his appointment of Robert J. Breckinridge as public school superintendent in 1847. Breckinridge is credited as the architect of Kentucky's antebellum educational system.
In 1845, Secretary of War William L. Marcy requested that Kentucky provide militiamen to bolster Zachary Taylor's forces in the new state of Texas. Owsley all but refused the request, but when word of Marcy's request reached the citizens of the state, they volunteered in great numbers and rushed to reinforce Taylor. Owsley was similarly lethargic in responding to Marcy's call for troops for service in the Mexican–American War. He joined fellow Kentucky Whigs John J. Crittenden and Henry Clay in deriding the conflict as "Mr. Polk's War". However, postal workers in the state opened Marcy's letter before delivering it to Owsley and had spread the word that the federal government had once again requested troops. By the time Owsley made the formal call for volunteers on May 22, 1846, an entire regiment of Kentucky troops had already been organized. Despite his personal opposition to the war, Owsley boasted in his report to Marcy that the Commonwealth had raised 13,700 volunteers, more than five times the number requested of her.
Later, Owsley's tenure would be marred by a conflict with Benjamin Hardin, his Secretary of State. Hardin believed that by supporting Owsley in the gubernatorial election, he would obtain some influence in Owsley's choices for other appointments. Tensions between Hardin and Owsley worsened as Hardin became increasingly frustrated with his lack of influence. On September 1, 1846, Owsley removed Hardin from his cabinet, charging that Hardin had abandoned his duties because he did not reside in Frankfort. Hardin challenged this premise for his removal, and when Owsley nominated George B. Kinkead to replace Hardin, the state senate voted 30—8 that no vacancy existed. The Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld this decision. Vindicated, Hardin then resigned, charging Owsley with practicing nepotism. In the Kentucky Constitution of 1850, the governor was stripped of his power to remove the Secretary of State from office.
Following his term as governor, Owsley retired to his farm in Danville, Kentucky, where he lived until the death of his wife in 1858. After this, he lived with his children until he died December 9, 1862. He is buried at Bellview Cemetery in Danville. Owsley County, Kentucky is named in his honor. Pleasant Retreat, his home in Garrard County during his early political career, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more about this topic: William Owsley
Famous quotes containing the words governor of, governor and/or kentucky:
“Three years ago, also, when the Sims tragedy was acted, I said to myself, There is such an officer, if not such a man, as the Governor of Massachusetts,—what has he been about the last fortnight? Has he had as much as he could do to keep on the fence during this moral earthquake?... He could at least have resigned himself into fame.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“President Lowell of Harvard appealed to students ‘to prepare themselves for such services as the Governor may call upon them to render.’ Dean Greenough organized an ‘emergency committee,’ and Coach Fisher was reported by the press as having declared, ‘To hell with football if men are needed.’”
—For the State of Massachusetts, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“The pure products of America go crazy—mountain folk from Kentucky or the ribbed north end of Jersey with its isolate lakes and valleys, its deaf-mutes, thieves.”
—William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)