Robert Denison Holmes (May 11, 1909 – June 6, 1976) was an American politician and journalist from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A native of the state of New York, he worked in newspapers and radio before entering politics. Though a Republican early in his career, he served as a

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in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

and as the 28th Governor of Oregon. He was governor from 1957 to 1959.

Early life

Holmes was born on May 11, 1909, in

Canisteo, New York Canisteo () is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Steuben County, New York, Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 3,294 at the 2020 census. The name was taken from a former Native American village locate ...

, to a family with five other siblings. His parents were George and Amy Holmes (''née'' Crary), and his father was a stockbroker. Holmes graduated from high school in 1925 from West High School in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. Following his graduation the entire family moved west to Oregon and settled in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. Holmes then worked for several newspapers in Portland for a short time before he enrolled at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

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. He entered in 1928 and graduated in 1932. Following college he returned to the newspaper business, working for the ''

Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portla ...

'' and ''

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'', both in Portland. Holmes then moved to Astoria along the

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in 1937 where he was involved in advertising and radio broadcasting, serving as general manager of KAST from 1943 to 1957.

Political career

Originally a Republican, he began his political career in local politics in

Clatsop County Clatsop County () is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. The county seat is Astoria. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coas ...

. Holmes first served on the school board for Gearhart south of Astoria, and then on the school board for all the rural schools in the county. After becoming a

, Holmes was elected in 1948 to the

and re-elected in 1952. He was the first Democratic senator from the county in 64 years. His legislative career was marked by successfully fending off legislation he deemed would threaten the state's fisheries, and in the midst of the

McCarthy era McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage in the United S ...

, going on record against a special loyalty oath for teachers. Additionally, Holmes supported passage of such civil rights legislation as a fair employment law and the outlawing of discrimination in public places. He was appointed by Governor Paul L. Patterson as the chair of the Education Committee in 1953.

Governor

In 1956, Holmes was elected Governor, to complete the two years remaining on the term of Patterson, who had died in office. Holmes defeated Lew Wallace in the primary and

Elmo Smith Elmo Everett Smith (November 19, 1909July 15, 1968) was an American politician and newspaper publisher who served as the 27th Governor of Oregon from 1956 to 1957. A member of the Republican Party, Smith served two terms as mayor of Ontario fr ...

, the Republican state Senate president who had assumed the job after Patterson's death in the general election. Holmes was the first Democrat in 18 years to serve as Oregon's governor, and the first Democrat in 22 years to win an Oregon gubernatorial election. Holmes convened a special session of the Oregon Legislature, for the purpose of lowering taxes, in his first year as governor. Reacting to an unexpected budget surplus, he initially proposed a 10% tax cut, as well as a $5 million per year contribution to the

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, which would also have served to reduce taxes. The 19 day session concluded in mid-November; the compromise reached between House Democrats and Senate Republicans reflected a 20% cut in taxes. The

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identified the tax session as the number one news story in the state in 1957, ahead of the prosecution of the Teamsters. While in office, Holmes sought to make state government more efficient and responsive. He supported public power development, and the abolition of capital punishment. He commuted every death sentence during his governorship.Clemency.
Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved on August 3, 2009. Holmes also worked to reform education, welfare programs, and also cut taxes by 16%. In 1958, he lost his bid for re-election in a landslide to

Oregon Secretary of State The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the List of Governors of Oregon, governor. The duties of the offi ...

Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Factions in the Republican Party (United States)#Moderates, moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he se ...

, a rising star in the

Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party is the U.S. state, state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in Februar ...

Later life and family

He and the former Marie Hoy were married on May 1, 1934, and they had two sons, Robert Jr. and George. Following his governorship, Holmes hosted a television public affairs program on Portland's

KOIN KOIN (channel 6) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Salem, Oregon, Salem–licensed The CW, CW owned-and-operated station KRCW-TV (channel 32). The two ...

, and served on the Oregon Board of Higher Education from 1969 to 1974. From 1961 to 1962, Holmes also was on a commission that hoped to revise the

Oregon Constitution The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights.

. A one-time

Christian Scientist Activists, politicians, and military figures Activists *Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone (1882-1985) – Native American singer and activist * Bonnie Carroll – President and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) *Henry ...

, Holmes attended the Episcopal Church. Robert D. Holmes died on June 6, 1976, in Astoria of cancer.

References

External links

Guide to Holmes Administration
- Oregon State Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Robert Democratic Party governors of Oregon Democratic Party Oregon state senators 1909 births 1976 deaths Politicians from Astoria, Oregon University of Oregon alumni Journalists from Portland, Oregon People from Canisteo, New York School board members in Oregon 20th-century Oregon politicians 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly