David Bennett Hill (August 29, 1843October 20, 1910) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

who was the 29th

governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

from 1885 to 1891 and represented New York in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

from 1892 to 1897. In 1892, he made an unsuccessful bid for president on a platform of

bimetallism Bimetallism, also known as the bimetallic standard, is a monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent to certain quantities of two metals, typically gold and silver, creating a fixed Exchange rate, rate of ...

, but lost the nomination to

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

, his longtime political rival and former running mate.

Early life and career

David B. Hill was born on August 29, 1843, in Havana, New York. He was

educated Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education also fol ...

locally, studied law, and began a practice in Elmira in 1864. In 1864, he was named Elmira City Attorney. Hill represented Chemung County in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Bapaume – Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

and

1872 Events January * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. *January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...

. Hill was elected an alderman of Elmira in 1880, Mayor of Elmira in 1882, and was President of the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

from 1886 to 1887.

Governor of New York

Hill was elected

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

1882 Events January * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in New York at the ...

, with more votes than the Democratic gubernatorial nominee,

. Hill became governor in 1885, when Cleveland resigned to take office as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. Hill won election to the office of governor in his own right in

1885 Events January * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 17 – Mahdist ...

and

1888 Events January * January 3 – The great telescope (with an objective lens of diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used. * January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, M ...

despite Cleveland losing the state in the concurrent presidential election. While Cleveland had publicly advocated for civil service reform, Hill embraced the role of patronage in politics and built up a strong following. During Hill's tenure as governor, the Democratic Party organization in New York polarized between those loyal to Hill and those who favored Cleveland. As governor, Hill opposed attempts to enact civil service reform and tax liquor. He supported regulation of tenement housing and labor reforms such as maximum work hours. Several other labor reforms were carried out during Hill's time as governor. On May 15, 1885, Hill signed "a bill establishing a '

Forest Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

' of 715,000 acres that was to remain permanently 'as wild

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

lands.'"Nash, Roderick F. 2001. ''Wilderness and the American Mind,'' 4th ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 119. This tract soon became the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

. During his tenure as governor,

William Kemmler William Francis Kemmler (May 9, 1860 – August 6, 1890) was an American murderer who was the first person executed by electric chair. He was convicted of murdering Matilda "Tillie" Ziegler, his common-law wife, a year earlier.Ruddick, N. (199 ...

was executed in the

electric chair The electric chair is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New Yo ...

, the first inmate in the country ever to be put to death in this manner. On April 23, 1889, Hill vetoed a bill from the state legislature that would block the street construction at the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

. He also vetoed two attempts at ballot reform by the Republican legislature.

United States Senate

After the 1888 elections, which saw the defeat of Cleveland and the re-election of Hill, Hill established effective control over the state Democratic Party. Democratic gains in the 1890 elections gave the Democratic Party a majority in the legislature. The legislature

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population ch ...

Hill to the U.S. Senate. Hill was meant to take office in the U.S. Senate on March 4, 1891, but declined to resign the governorship so that Roswell P. Flower, a member of his political machine, could take the governorship. In 1892, Hill sought the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, running as a supporter of

. At the

1892 Democratic National Convention The 1892 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, from June 21 to 23, 1892. Former President Grover Cleveland, who had been the party's standard-bearer in 1884 and 1888, was nominated again. Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois was n ...

, Cleveland defeated Hill and Governor of Iowa

Horace Boies Horace Boies (December 7, 1827 – April 4, 1923) served as the 14th Governor of Iowa from 1890 to 1894 as a member of the Democratic Party. Early Life Horace was born in Aurora, New York to Eber Boies, a farmer and veteran of the War of 1 ...

on the first ballot. Cleveland went on to defeat President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

in the general election. As Senator, Hill blocked President Cleveland's two appointments to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

William B. Hornblower William Butler Hornblower (May 13, 1851 – June 16, 1914) was a New York jurist who served on the New York Court of Appeals. He was unsuccessfully nominated to the United States Supreme Court by President Grover Cleveland in 1893. Early lif ...

and Wheeler H. Peckham, both New York judges who had opposed Hill's political machine. In 1894, Hill was defeated by Republican

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United States ambassador to France, as a United States H ...

when, as a sitting U.S. senator, he ran again for governor again. In 1896, Hill initially opposed the nomination of

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

for president, but supported Bryan in the general election against the Clevelandite

Gold Democrats The National Democratic Party, also known as Gold Democrats, was a short-lived political party of Bourbon Democrats who opposed the regular party nominee William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 presidential election. The party was then a "liberal" p ...

. In 1897, Hill was defeated for re-election by Republican

Thomas C. Platt Thomas Collier Platt (July 15, 1833 – March 6, 1910), also known as Tom Platt

Later career and death

Hill received significant support for the vice presidential nomination at the

1900 Democratic National Convention The 1900 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place the week of July 4, 1900, at Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. The convention nominated William Jennings Bryan for president ...

, but the party nominated former Vice President

Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Grover Cleveland. A member of the History of the Demo ...

. Hill served as the campaign manager of Democratic presidential nominee Alton Parker in the 1904 presidential election. Hill died at Wolfert's Roost, his country home near Albany on October 20, 1910, from the effects of

Bright's Disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

and heart disease. He was buried in Montour Cemetery in Mountour Falls.

References

Works cited

External links

A Jeffersonian Governor: David Bennett Hill
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, David Bennett 1843 births 1910 deaths Governors of New York (state) Lieutenant governors of New York (state) New York (state) city council members Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Montour Falls, New York Candidates in the 1892 United States presidential election Democratic Party United States senators from New York (state) Mayors of Elmira, New York Adirondack Park New York (state) lawyers Democratic Party governors of New York (state) 19th-century American lawyers Bourbon Democrats Deaths from nephritis 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature