Joseph W. Folk
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Holy Joe" Wingate Folk (October 29, 1869 – May 29, 1923) was an American
lawyer, reformer, and politician from St. Louis, Missouri
.
Raised in a strict Baptist
household in Brownsville, Tennessee
, Folk first made his reputation as a lawyer for transit workers in the St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900
. He earned his nickname as 'Holy Joe' by attacking local corruption and party machines, prosecuting the city's Democratic boss Edward Butler and breaking up the corrupt "boodle ring".
Folk was elected the 31st Governor of Missouri
as a progressive reformer and Democrat
in 1904. He died aged 54 in 1923 in New York City
, and is buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Brownsville, Tennessee
.
His Washington D.C. residence is now the Embassy of Mauritania
. A 1943 Liberty ship
was named in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, reformer, and politician from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Raised in a strict Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
household in Brownsville, Tennessee
Brownsville, Tennessee
Brownsville is a city in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Haywood County. The city is named after Jacob Jennings Brown, an officer who served during The War of 1812.-Geography:...
, Folk first made his reputation as a lawyer for transit workers in the St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900
St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900
The St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900 was a labor action, and resulting civil disruption, against the St. Louis Transit Company by a group of three thousand workers unionized by the Amalgamated Street Railway Employees of America....
. He earned his nickname as 'Holy Joe' by attacking local corruption and party machines, prosecuting the city's Democratic boss Edward Butler and breaking up the corrupt "boodle ring".
Folk was elected the 31st Governor of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
as a progressive reformer and 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...
in 1904. He died aged 54 in 1923 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and is buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Brownsville, Tennessee
Brownsville, Tennessee
Brownsville is a city in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Haywood County. The city is named after Jacob Jennings Brown, an officer who served during The War of 1812.-Geography:...
.
His Washington D.C. residence is now the Embassy of Mauritania
Embassy of Mauritania in Washington, D.C.
The Embassy of Mauritania in Washington, D.C. is the Islamic Republic of Mauritania's diplomatic mission to the United States. It is located at 2129 Leroy Place N.W...
. A 1943 Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
was named in his honor.