William B. Pine
Encyclopedia
William Bliss Pine was a United States Senator from Oklahoma
. Born in Illinois
, he moved to Kansas
and finally Oklahoma
, where he became a prominent busineman and oil producer. As a senator, he was economically conservative, but considered progressive in his agricultural positions. With the onset of the Great Depression
, he and many other Republican politicians were turned out of office.
, Pine graduated from a high school in Naples, Illinois in 1896 and taught school for three years while selling harvesters during the summer. He became a traveling salesman with the D. M. Osborne Company, which took him to Neosho County, Kansas
, where he got caught up in oil fever.
He moved to Chanute, Kansas
and was employed in the oil producing business; he moved to Oklahoma in 1904 and continued in the oil industry. In 1909 he located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma
where he eventually became extensively engaged in the production of oil.
Pine married his high school sweetheart, Laura M. Hamilton in 1912.
He became one of the state's leading independent oil producers and a prominent Okmulgee businessman.
to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1925, to March 4, 1931; he was unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1930, after which he resumed his former business pursuits.
Called a "regular Republican" for his positions on the economy, the senator sided with the "Progressive" part of his party on matters related to agriculture and foreign affairs. He supported protective legislation for the petroleum industry and fought to bring federal road projects to Oklahoma.
The Great Depression
virtually destroyed the Republican party in Oklahoma, one of the reasons Pine was not reelected.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor
in 1934.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Born in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, he moved to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and finally Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, where he became a prominent busineman and oil producer. As a senator, he was economically conservative, but considered progressive in his agricultural positions. With the onset of 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...
, he and many other Republican politicians were turned out of office.
Early life and career
Born in Bluffs, IllinoisBluffs, Illinois
Bluffs is a village in Scott County, Illinois, United States. The population was 748 at the 2000 census. It was briefly the location of the WJJY TV Mast, the tallest structure built to that date in Illinois....
, Pine graduated from a high school in Naples, Illinois in 1896 and taught school for three years while selling harvesters during the summer. He became a traveling salesman with the D. M. Osborne Company, which took him to Neosho County, Kansas
Neosho County, Kansas
Neosho County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,512...
, where he got caught up in oil fever.
He moved to Chanute, Kansas
Chanute, Kansas
Chanute is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,119...
and was employed in the oil producing business; he moved to Oklahoma in 1904 and continued in the oil industry. In 1909 he located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...
where he eventually became extensively engaged in the production of oil.
Pine married his high school sweetheart, Laura M. Hamilton in 1912.
He became one of the state's leading independent oil producers and a prominent Okmulgee businessman.
Political career
Pine was elected as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1925, to March 4, 1931; he was unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1930, after which he resumed his former business pursuits.
Called a "regular Republican" for his positions on the economy, the senator sided with the "Progressive" part of his party on matters related to agriculture and foreign affairs. He supported protective legislation for the petroleum industry and fought to bring federal road projects to Oklahoma.
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...
virtually destroyed the Republican party in Oklahoma, one of the reasons Pine was not reelected.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor
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...
in 1934.