Lee Cruce
Encyclopedia
Lee Cruce was the second Governor of Oklahoma
. Running against Charles N. Haskell
in 1907 in the Democratic primaries, Lee would not receive the party's nomination for Oklahoma's first Governor. However, Cruce would later take Haskell's seat once he left office as the second Governor of Oklahoma
.
on July 8, 1863. Educated Marion Academy, Cruce would attend Vanderbilt University, where he would receive a law degree. Though he passed the Kentucky bar exam in 1887, he would not practice law until he joined his brother’s law firm at Ardmore
in Indian Territory
in 1891. The town, founded in 1887, was a quickly growing settlement thanks in part to the Santa Fe railroad
.
After ten years of practicing law, Cruce entered the financial world as the first cashier of the Ardmore National Bank, of which he would later serve as the bank’s president. In 1901, Cruce would be elected an alderman
in the local government of Ardmore. Through his combined positions of power in the Ardmore National Bank and the movement towards statehood in late 1906, Cruce submitted his name on the Democratic primary for Governor of the newly created state of Oklahoma. The powerful, and popular Charles N. Haskell
defeated Cruce for the nomination and would later go on to serve as Oklahoma's first governor.
on January 9, 1911.
Despite the fact that Haskell and Cruce were both Democrats, that is where the similarities end. Whereas Haskell exercised extensive executive control over the Oklahoma Legislature
(mainly through his force of personality), Cruce lost much of the executive power Haskell established. As Governor, Cruce continually struggled for power against the Legislature throughout his term. Despite his lacking Haskell's control, Cruce still managed to complete many projects he initiated. Cruce’s first major success came in the realm of automotives. With the increase in automobiles, the Legislature acted upon Cruce’s commendation and established the Oklahoma Department of Highways
in 1911. Roads were improved with funds generated from an annual one-dollar license fee.
Next on the Governor's agenda was to construction of the Oklahoma State Capitol
in the State's capitol, which Haskell officially moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910. Under the supervision of Cruce, the Legislature established the three member State Capitol Commission in 1913. This commission was charged with purchasing land for the Oklahoma’s new State Capitol Building. After purchasing the desired property in downtown Oklahoma City, on July 20, 1914, groundbreaking began. Then on November 16, 1915 (Oklahoma's 8th birthday) the cornerstone was laid in Masonic fashion and construction began.
Believing the State needed to take on a greater moral role, Cruce supported enforcement of blue law
s. Through specific legislation, Cruce and the Legislature closed businesses on Sundays, and declared prize fighting, gambling, bootlegging and horseracing illegal. This, combined with Haskell's prohibition plan, proved too much for the State to handle. The Legislature did not possess the funds needed to finance the operations and only ended up shifting funds around from one law enforcement agency to another. Cruce, on numerous occasions, in his role as Commander-in-Chief
, called out the state militia to enforce his laws. The most famous of these events occurred when Cruce declared martial law in Tulsa
to prevent a horserace from taking place. The race was brought to a halt as shots were fired over the heads of the jockeys.
Much like his desires for a greater morality of the state, Cruce was an avid abolitionist when it came to the use of capital punishment throughout the state. Pioneering the movement to abolish capital punishment, Cruce commuted twenty-two death sentences to life imprisonment and no execution took place during his administration.
Congressional reapportionments nearly resulted in the downfall of Cruce's administration. In 1912, Cruce vetoed a bill to reapportion the state into eight congressional districts designed to minimize Republican voting strength. This veto as well as the Governor's attempts to abolish some public institutions for economic reasons, led the legislature to investigate the executive branch. As a result, the State Auditor, State Insurance Commissioner, and State Printer were impeached. Cruce himself escaped impeachment in the Oklahoma House of Representatives
by a single vote, similar to U.S. President
Andrew Johnson
. (Johnson was impeached, but was acquitted in the Senate
by a single vote.)
By the end of his term in 1915, the voters were, for the most part, ready for a change. Looking for a new Governor, the voters looked to Governor Haskell's friend and then Chief Justice of Oklahoma
Robert L. Williams
. Elected in 1914 following the end of his only term on the Court, Williams became the third Governor of Oklahoma.
, one of Oklahoma’s first Senators. Cruce died January 16, 1933, in Los Angeles. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in adoptive hometown of Ardmore.
Cruce is remembered as the first Governor of Oklahoma to have impeachment proceedings launched against him, though they failed. This marked the beginning of impeachments throughout the State level that would go on for twenty years. Unlike his predecessor, Cruce did could not manage the vast executive power Haskell had established. This power was lost and it would not resurface in Oklahoma until the Great Depression
of the 1930s.
Like John Adams
to George Washington
, Cruce's legacy is often overshadowed by that of Haskell. Despite having many good intentions and results, Cruce simply could not outshine the State's first governor. Throughout his career, Haskell or one of Haskell's friends would always be present.
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
. Running against Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
in 1907 in the Democratic primaries, Lee would not receive the party's nomination for Oklahoma's first Governor. However, Cruce would later take Haskell's seat once he left office as the second Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
.
Early life and move to Oklahoma
Lee Cruce was born in Marion, KentuckyMarion, Kentucky
Marion is a city in Crittenden County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,196. It is the county seat of Crittenden County...
on July 8, 1863. Educated Marion Academy, Cruce would attend Vanderbilt University, where he would receive a law degree. Though he passed the Kentucky bar exam in 1887, he would not practice law until he joined his brother’s law firm at Ardmore
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
in Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
in 1891. The town, founded in 1887, was a quickly growing settlement thanks in part to the Santa Fe railroad
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
.
After ten years of practicing law, Cruce entered the financial world as the first cashier of the Ardmore National Bank, of which he would later serve as the bank’s president. In 1901, Cruce would be elected an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in the local government of Ardmore. Through his combined positions of power in the Ardmore National Bank and the movement towards statehood in late 1906, Cruce submitted his name on the Democratic primary for Governor of the newly created state of Oklahoma. The powerful, and popular Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
defeated Cruce for the nomination and would later go on to serve as Oklahoma's first governor.
Governor of Oklahoma
Before Governor Haskell's term ended in 1911, Lee once again sought the Democratic nomination for governor. This time Cruce was successful. Defeating his Republican opponent, Cruce stepped in to fill Haskell's vacated office and was inaugurated as the second Governor of OklahomaGovernor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
on January 9, 1911.
Despite the fact that Haskell and Cruce were both Democrats, that is where the similarities end. Whereas Haskell exercised extensive executive control over the Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
(mainly through his force of personality), Cruce lost much of the executive power Haskell established. As Governor, Cruce continually struggled for power against the Legislature throughout his term. Despite his lacking Haskell's control, Cruce still managed to complete many projects he initiated. Cruce’s first major success came in the realm of automotives. With the increase in automobiles, the Legislature acted upon Cruce’s commendation and established the Oklahoma Department of Highways
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction, maintenance, and regulation the use of the state's transportation infrastructure...
in 1911. Roads were improved with funds generated from an annual one-dollar license fee.
Next on the Governor's agenda was to construction of the Oklahoma State Capitol
Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature, and the meeting place of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome that was...
in the State's capitol, which Haskell officially moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910. Under the supervision of Cruce, the Legislature established the three member State Capitol Commission in 1913. This commission was charged with purchasing land for the Oklahoma’s new State Capitol Building. After purchasing the desired property in downtown Oklahoma City, on July 20, 1914, groundbreaking began. Then on November 16, 1915 (Oklahoma's 8th birthday) the cornerstone was laid in Masonic fashion and construction began.
Believing the State needed to take on a greater moral role, Cruce supported enforcement of blue law
Blue law
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and, formerly, in Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping...
s. Through specific legislation, Cruce and the Legislature closed businesses on Sundays, and declared prize fighting, gambling, bootlegging and horseracing illegal. This, combined with Haskell's prohibition plan, proved too much for the State to handle. The Legislature did not possess the funds needed to finance the operations and only ended up shifting funds around from one law enforcement agency to another. Cruce, on numerous occasions, in his role as Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
, called out the state militia to enforce his laws. The most famous of these events occurred when Cruce declared martial law in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
to prevent a horserace from taking place. The race was brought to a halt as shots were fired over the heads of the jockeys.
Much like his desires for a greater morality of the state, Cruce was an avid abolitionist when it came to the use of capital punishment throughout the state. Pioneering the movement to abolish capital punishment, Cruce commuted twenty-two death sentences to life imprisonment and no execution took place during his administration.
Congressional reapportionments nearly resulted in the downfall of Cruce's administration. In 1912, Cruce vetoed a bill to reapportion the state into eight congressional districts designed to minimize Republican voting strength. This veto as well as the Governor's attempts to abolish some public institutions for economic reasons, led the legislature to investigate the executive branch. As a result, the State Auditor, State Insurance Commissioner, and State Printer were impeached. Cruce himself escaped impeachment in the Oklahoma House of Representatives
Oklahoma House of Representatives
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members are responsible for introducing and voting on bills and resolutions, providing legislative oversight for state agencies, and helping to craft the...
by a single vote, similar to U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
. (Johnson was impeached, but was acquitted in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
by a single vote.)
By the end of his term in 1915, the voters were, for the most part, ready for a change. Looking for a new Governor, the voters looked to Governor Haskell's friend and then Chief Justice of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
Robert L. Williams
Robert L. Williams
Robert Lee Williams was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the third Governor of Oklahoma. Williams would also play a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution...
. Elected in 1914 following the end of his only term on the Court, Williams became the third Governor of Oklahoma.
Late life and legacy
After Cruce left office, he would continue his career as a lawyer and banker through Oklahoma. In 1930, Cruce was defeated in the primary for the United States Senate losing out to Thomas GoreThomas Gore
Thomas Gore was a Democratic politician. He was blind and served as a United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1907 until 1921 and from 1931 until 1937. He was the maternal grandfather of author Gore Vidal.-Life and career:...
, one of Oklahoma’s first Senators. Cruce died January 16, 1933, in Los Angeles. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in adoptive hometown of Ardmore.
Cruce is remembered as the first Governor of Oklahoma to have impeachment proceedings launched against him, though they failed. This marked the beginning of impeachments throughout the State level that would go on for twenty years. Unlike his predecessor, Cruce did could not manage the vast executive power Haskell had established. This power was lost and it would not resurface in Oklahoma until the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s.
Like John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
to George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Cruce's legacy is often overshadowed by that of Haskell. Despite having many good intentions and results, Cruce simply could not outshine the State's first governor. Throughout his career, Haskell or one of Haskell's friends would always be present.