Joseph Kemp Toole was an American politician from Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

.

He attended public school in St. Joseph, Missouri, and the Western Military Institute

Western Military Institute

The Western Military Institute was a preparatory school and college located first in Kentucky, then in Tennessee. It was founded by Thornton Fitzhugh Johnson in 1847, and initially located in Georgetown, Kentucky....

 in New Castle, Kentucky

New Castle, Kentucky

New Castle is a city in Henry County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 919. It is the county seat of Henry County. It is located on U.S. Route 421 30 miles northeast of Louisville.- History :...

. He moved to Helena, Montana

Helena, Montana

Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...

 in 1870; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1871 and commenced practice in Helena. Toole was district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

 of the third judicial district of Montana 1872-1876 and a member of the Montana Territorial House of Representatives 1879-1881; member and president of the Territorial council 1881-1883.

Toole was a delegate to the State constitutional conventions at Helena in 1884 and 1889; elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses (March 4, 1885 - March 3, 1889); he did not seek renomination in 1888.

Toole was the first Governor of Montana, serving from November 8, 1889, until January 1, 1893. He resumed the practice of law in Helena. Toole was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

s in 1892 and 1904. He served as the fourth Governor of Montana from January 7, 1901, until April 1, 1908, when he resigned on account of ill health.

He lived in retirement, dividing his time between his home in Helena and San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

 until his death in 1929, aged 77.

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