J. C. W. Beckham

John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham (August 5, 1869 – January 9, 1940) was the 35th Governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky. After the Seventeenth Amendment’s passage, he was elected the first senator from the state.

Descended from a prominent political family, Beckham was chosen as Democrat William Goebel’s running mate in the gubernatorial election of 1899 despite the fact that he had turned 30, the minimum age for governor, during the campaign. Goebel lost the election to Republican William S. Taylor, but the Kentucky General Assembly disputed the election results. Unknown assassin killed Goebel during the political wrangling. The General Assembly invalidated enough votes to grant the election to Goebel. He was then sworn in to office at his graveside. Taylor claimed the election had been stolen by the Democratic majority in the General Assembly, and a legal fight occurred between him and Beckham over the governorship. Beckham ultimately prevailed and Taylor fled the state. Beckham won the special election to replace Goebel, which was less than half of the term that had expired. He also won an election in 1903.

During his second term as governor, in 1906, Beckham made a bid to become a US senator. He voted for prohibition, which cost him four votes from his party members. The General Assembly in 1908 gave the seat to William O. Bradley (Republican who had served as governor between 1895 and 1899). Six years later, Beckham secured the seat by popular election, but he lost his re-election bid in 1920, largely because of his pro-temperance views and his opposition to women’s suffrage.

Though he continued to play an active role in state politics for another two decades, he never returned to elected office, failing both in his gubernatorial bid in 1927 (with suspected electoral fraud) and his senatorial campaign in 1936. He died in Louisville on January 9, 1940.

Beckham County in Oklahoma is named after him.