Andrew Jackson Montague

Infobox Governor
name= Andrew Jackson Montague


caption=
order=
office= Governor of Virginia
term_start=1902
term_end=1906
lieutenant= Joseph Edward Willard
predecessor= James Hoge Tyler
successor= Claude A. Swanson
birth_date= October 3, 1862
birth_place= }Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
death_date= January 24, 1937
death_place=Urbanna, Virginia, USA
party= Democrat
spouse=
profession= Politician, Lawyer

Andrew Jackson Montague (1862 - 1937) was a U.S. politician from Virginia. He served as the Governor of Virginia, from 1902 to 1906, and a Congressman from 1912 through his death in 1937.

Early life and career

Montague was born in 1862 near Lynchburg, Virginia, where his family had fled to escape the Civil War. After the war, his family returned to the Tidewater area, and Montague worked on the family farm and attended schools in Middlesex County and Williamsburg. After the death of his father in 1880, Montague left the farm and went to Richmond, Virginia. He received his college education there, from Richmond College (predecessor to the University of Richmond), and later a law degree at the University of Virginia. [ cite book |last=Larson |first=William |title=The Governors of Virginia, 1860-1978 |editor=Edward Younger |publisher=University Press of Virginia|pages=159-160 |year=1982 |id=ISBN 0-8139-0920-1]

After his graduation from law school, Montague commenced practicing law in Danville Virginia, while becoming increasing involved with the local Democratic party. In 1893, President Grover Cleveland appointed him as the United States Attorney for the Western district of Virginia, a position he held for five years. In 1898, he was elected as the Attorney General of Virginia.cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000861|title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: MONTAGUE, Andrew Jackson, (1862 - 1937) |accessdate=2007-08-13|publisher=United States Congress]

Governor

While serving as Attorney General, Montague became increasingly involved with the Virginia Progressive movement, with an emphasis on education reform and disfranchisement of black voters as a way to stem political corruption. Montague subsequently beat Claude A. Swanson for the Democratic nomination, and easily defeated Republican candidate J. Hampton Hoge to win election as governor of Virginia in 1902. Shortly after Montague's inauguration, and with his support, the Virginia Constitution of 1902 was enacted, with poll taxes and literacy tests that effectively disenfranchised the black vote. [ Larson (1982) pp. 160-163 ]

As Governor, Montague's focus was on the progressive agenda, and he gave frequent speeches throughout the state calling for progress towards "good schools" and "good roads". His efforts on behalf of schools resulted in some tangible progress, particularly in terms of increased local funding, longer terms and consolidation of schools. For roads, he pressed for the creation of a state highway commission, which officially came into being two months after he left office. [ Larson (1982) pp. 164-165 ] Montague also championed the primary process as a more open way to select political party candidates, and his efforts helped lead to the primary system being adopted for the first time in 1905. [ cite book |last=Moger |first=Allen |title=Virginia: Bourbonism to Byrd, 1870-1925 |publisher=University Press of Virginia |year=1968 |pages=203-206 |id=OCLC 435376] However, these accomplishments fell far short of Montague's legislative ambitions, for which he blamed a hostile legislature and the political machine run by his long time political foe, Senator Thomas S. Martin. [ Moger (1968) pp. 207-208 ]

In 1905, while still in office as Governor, Montague determined to make a run for the United States Senate against the incumbent Senator Martin. Martin and Montague represented the two main factions within the Virginia Democratic party, and their contest would effectively determine which would control Virginia politics. [ Moger (1968) p. 206 ] Martin responded to the challenge by publicly embracing Montague's main issues - good schools, good roads and the primary election process. Having minimized the differences between their positions and with a larger political organization [ Moger (1968) pp. 210-211 ] , Thomas handily won the election, leaving an embittered Montague to finish out his term as Governor. [ Larson (1982) p. 166 ]

Congressman

After leaving office as Governor, Montague served as the dean of Richmond College Law School for three years, before returning to the private practice of law in 1909. In 1912, he returned to politics by defeating the Republican incumbent to win the Richmond District seat in the United States House of Representatives, a seat he would retain for almost a quarter of a century. [ Larson (1982) p. 167 ]

A supporter of President Woodrow Wilson's internationalist agenda, Montague lost influence when the Republicans took control of Congress in the 1920s. Despite this, and a failed bid to gain appointment to the Supreme Court, Montague was respected by his colleagues, even acquiring the nickname "Judge". [ Larson (1982) p. 167 ] In 1926, he was selected by the House as one of managers to prosecute the impeachment proceedings against Judge George W. English.

Montague died in office on January 24, 1937, after winning a narrow election against his first significant opposition in twenty-five years. [ Larson (1982) pp. 167-168 ]

References