Lyman Underwood Humphrey (July 25, 1844 – September 12, 1915) was the 11th

governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Early life

Humphrey was born in

New Baltimore, Ohio New Baltimore is a census-designated place (CDP) in Crosby Township, Ohio. The population was 1,596 in the 2020 census. History The village, about four miles east of New Haven, was laid out in 1819 by mill owner Samuel Pottinger. In July 1863, ...

, to Lyman and Elizabeth (Everhart) Humphrey, one of two sons born to the couple. His father was born in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, but relocated to Deerfield, Ohio, where he purchased a

tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...

formerly owned by Jesse Grant (father of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

). Humphrey's father gave up the tannery business after several years and began to practice law. His father died in 1853 and through the influence of his mother, Humphrey received a common school education first in New Baltimore and then high school in

Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in western Stark County, Ohio, United States, along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Massillon is a principal city of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area, whic ...

. He left school in 1861 to join the

76th Ohio Infantry The 76th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 76th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry ( or 76th OVI) was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served in the Western Theater, primarily as part of the XV C ...

. He later received his J.D. from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1867.

Civil War

The 76th Ohio was part of the

Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

. Humphrey rose quickly through the ranks and was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. He participated in twenty-seven battles and skirmishes including

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, Shiloh,

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

, the siege of Vicksburg, Resaca, and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. The regiment participated in the march to the sea and through the Carolinas to the battle of Bentonville. At Ringgold Gap on November 27, 1863, Humphrey was wounded but missed no duty due to the wound. He was mustered out with the regiment at

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

on July 19, 1865.

Personal life

Humphrey married Amanda Leonard on December 25, 1872, in Beardstown, Illinois. They had four sons, two of whom died in infancy.

Professional career

Following the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Humphrey attended

Mount Union College The University of Mount Union is a private liberal arts university in Alliance, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1846, the university was affiliated with the Methodist Church until 2019. It had an enrollment of 2,100 students as of 2023. Histo ...

for one year followed by a year in the law department of the

. Short on funds, Humphrey left school, but was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1868. He moved to

Shelby County, Missouri Shelby County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,103. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was established on January 2, 1835, and named for Gover ...

where he became a teacher and newspaper editor of the ''Shelby County Herald''. Humphrey was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1870. The following year, Humphrey moved to

Independence, Kansas Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,548. It was named in commemoration of the ...

, where he practiced law and started the ''South Kansas Tribune'' newspaper. He gave up the newspaper a year later and settled into the practice of law full-time, until December 1872 when he helped found the Commercial Bank of Independence. Humphrey became the bank's president and helped reorganize the bank in 1891 as the Commercial National Bank. He continued with the bank until he was elected governor.

Politics

Humphrey was a devoted Republican and was active in party politics in every state in which he lived. In 1872 he unsuccessfully ran for the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

because he opposed the issue of railroad bonds. Four years later he was overwhelmingly elected to represent Montgomery County in the Kansas House of Representatives. Before his term expired, Humphrey was appointed the ninth

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 ...

to fill the vacancy left by Melville J. Salter. During the regular election of 1878, he was elected to the same position by a margin of 40,000 votes. Humphrey completed his term as lieutenant governor and was elected to the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

in 1884.

Governor of Kansas

Humphrey ran for governor in 1888 and won the position by the largest plurality to that time in Kansas; he won the majority vote in all but two counties. He defeated the Democratic candidate John Martin (not to be confused with the previous Republican Governor of Kansas John A. Martin). Humphrey was reelected to a second term in 1890.

Later life

Following his term as governor, Humphrey returned to the practice of law. In 1892, he ran unsuccessfully for the

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

. Humphrey died at Independence on September 12, 1915, and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.

Footnotes

References

*Connelley, William E. ''A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans'' (Chicago: Lewis), 1918.

External links

*
Publications concerning Kansas Governor Humphrey's administration available via the KGI Online Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphrey, Lyman U. Republican Party governors of Kansas Lieutenant governors of Kansas Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Republican Party Kansas state senators Kansas state court judges People from Massillon, Ohio Politicians from Independence, Kansas 1844 births 1915 deaths University of Mount Union alumni American Congregationalists University of Michigan Law School alumni 19th-century American judges 19th-century members of the Kansas Legislature