Horace F. Graham

Horace French Graham (February 7, 1862 – November 23, 1941) was an American politician who served as the 56th governor of Vermont from 1917 to 1919.

Horace F. Graham
Governor Horace Graham. Photo by A.W. Elson & Company, Belmont, Massachusetts.
56th Governor of Vermont
In office January 4, 1917 – January 9, 1919
Lieutenant	Roger W. Hulburd
Preceded by	Charles W. Gates
Succeeded by	Percival W. Clement
Vermont State Auditor
In office 1902–1917
Preceded by	Orion M. Barber
Succeeded by	Benjamin Gates
State's Attorney of Orleans County, Vermont
In office 1898–1902
Preceded by	Orien S. Annis
Succeeded by	Albert W. Farman
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Craftsbury
In office 1923–1925
Preceded by	William C. Hadley
Succeeded by	Mary Jean Simpson
In office 1900–1902
Preceded by	Portus W. Davison
Succeeded by	James A. Gallagher
In office 1892–1894
Preceded by	Charles W. Dustin
Succeeded by	Augustus Paddock
Personal details
Born	(1862-02-07)February 7, 1862 Brooklyn, New York, US
Died	November 23, 1941(1941-11-23) (aged 79) Craftsbury, Vermont, US
Resting place	Craftsbury Common Cemetery, Craftsbury, Vermont
Political party	Republican
Education	College of the City of New York Columbia Law School
Profession	Attorney

Early life

Graham was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Samuel Hallett Graham and Lucy Fairbanks (Swett) Graham. He received his early education in Craftsbury, Vermont, and was a graduate of Craftsbury Academy. He graduated from the College of the City of New York (now New York University) in 1882.^[1][2][3] He received his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1888 and became an attorney in Craftsbury.^[4][5][6][7]

Graham was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.^[8]

Early political career

A Republican, he served as Craftsbury's Town Meeting Moderator from 1902 to 1932, and in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1892 and 1900. He was Orleans County State's Attorney from 1898 to 1902, and a Republican Presidential elector in 1900.

Graham was Vermont's Auditor from 1902 to 1916, and a member of the state Education Commission in 1913.^[9][10]

Election as Governor

In 1916 Graham was the successful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor. In a state where only Republicans won statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, he easily won the general election. He served from 1917 to 1919, the one term then available to Vermont Republicans under the "Mountain Rule."^[11][12][13]

Graham's governorship was notable for his advocacy of women's suffrage in local elections, and for his efforts to mobilize the Vermont National Guard and other state resources for World War I.^[14][15]

Charges of embezzlement

While Graham was governor, an investigation revealed that a large sum of state money (nearly $25,000, or $450,000 in 2019) was unaccounted for during his term as Auditor. Graham repaid the missing funds, but was charged with embezzlement and convicted at trial.^[16] He was then pardoned by the new Governor, Percival Clement, who lauded Graham's integrity (his nickname was "Honest Horace")^[17] and efforts as Governor during World War I. Graham always maintained his innocence, but stated that since the loss took place while he was Auditor, he felt personally obligated to reimburse the state for the missing money.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]}

Post gubernatorial career

His reputation for integrity was largely undamaged, and he served in the Vermont House again from 1923 to 1925, and also took part in revising Vermont's Statutes in 1933.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Death and burial

Gravestone of Horace French Graham in Craftsbury's Crfatsbury Common Cemetery

Graham died in Craftsbury on November 23, 1941.^[31] He was buried at Craftsbury Common Cemetery.^[32]

Personal

Graham was a lifelong bachelor and lived with his sister Isabel.^[33][34][35]

References

1. New York City College, Annual Register, 1878, page 109
2. Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Directory of Members, 1898, page 123
3. Phi Gamma Delta magazine, Governor Horace F. Graham, March 1917, page 605
4. Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1902, page 54
5. Annual Register of the Officers and Students of Columbia College, published by the college, 1884, page 53
6. Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties, William Hartley Jeffrey, 1904, pages 263 to 265
7. Columbia University, Annual Register of the Officers and Students of Columbia College, 1888, page 53
8. Biography, Horace F. Graham, Phi Gamma Delta magazine, published by the fraternity, Volume 39, May, 1917, pages 605 to 606
9. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Secretary of State, 1933, page 586
10. Magazine article, Republican Presidential Electors, The Vermonter magazine, October 1900, page 47
11. Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 4, 1921, pages 471-472
12. Newspaper article, The Mountain Rule in Vermont, New York Times, February 12, 1895
13. Magazine article, Mountain Rule Revisited, by Samuel B. Hand, Vermont History Magazine, published by Vermont Historical Society, Summer/Fall 2003, pages 139 to 151
14. History of Woman Suffrage: 1900-1920, edited by Ida Husted Harper, published by National American Woman Suffrage Association, Volume 6, 1922, page 663
15. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, edited by Robert Sobel and John Raimo, Volume 4, 1978, page 1603
16. Warren A. Williams (2004–2020). "Two Forgotten Vermont Freemasons". vtfreemasons.org.^{[permanent dead link]}
17. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, 1922, page 66
18. Confirms Shortage in Graham's Books, New York Times, August 18, 1918
19. Newspaper article, A celebrated Case, New York Times, November 27, 1918
20. Newspaper article, Graham Denies Theft: Former Governor of Vermont Says he Repaid State Funds, New York Times, January 31, 1920
21. Newspaper article, Gov. Clement Gives Graham Full Pardon, Boston Daily Globe, November 5, 1920
22. Newspaper article, Ex-Governor Graham Convicted of Theft, New York Times, February 6, 1920
23. Untitled article, published in Moderator-Topic magazine, published by Michigan Education Company, Lansing, Michigan, November 18, 1920
24. "The Trials of Honest Horace: His rise, his rival and his fall". VTDigger. November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
25. "Horace Graham and W.W. Stickney to decide on new building or addition". The Burlington Free Press. May 26, 1915. p. 9. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
26. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1933
27. Newspaper article, H.F. Graham Dies; Ex-War Governor, New York Times, November 25, 1941
28. Who Was Who in America, published by Marquis Who's Who, Volume 2, 1950, page 217
29. American State Governors, 1776-1976], published by Oceana Publications, Dobbs Ferry, New York, Volume 3, 1977, page 486
30. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, 1942
31. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 entry for Horace French Graham
32. Vermont Old Cemetery Association
33. 1910 U.S. Census entry, Isabel S. Graham family
34. 1920 U.S. Census entry, Lucy F. Graham family
35. 1930 U.S. Census entry, Horace F. Graham family

External resources

• Horace French Graham biography, National Governors Association, accessed November 19, 2011

VT Digger

• Heintz, Ben (November 21, 2018). "The Trials of Honest Horace, Part I: Vermont's forgotten governor". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
• Heintz, Ben (November 23, 2018). "The Trials of Honest Horace, Part II: His rise, his rival and his fall". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
• Heintz, Ben (November 25, 2018). "The Trials of Honest Horace, Part III: His reckoning". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
• Heintz, Ben (February 3, 2020). "Vermont's forgotten impeachment". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.

Party political offices
Preceded by Orion M. Barber	Republican nominee for Vermont State Auditor 1902, 1904, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914	Succeeded by Benjamin Gates
Preceded by Charles W. Gates	Republican nominee for Governor of Vermont 1916	Succeeded by Percival W. Clement
Political offices
Preceded by Orion M. Barber	Vermont Auditor of Accounts 1902-1917	Succeeded by Benjamin Gates
Preceded by Charles W. Gates	Governor of Vermont 1917–1919	Succeeded by Percival W. Clement