Philip W. McKinney

Philip Watkins McKinney ( born March 17, 1832 in New Store, Buckingham County, Virginia; † March 1, 1899 ) was an American politician and from 1890 to 1894 Governor of Virginia.

Early years and political rise

Philip McKinney attended until 1851, the Hampden - Sydney College and then studied law. In the American Civil War, he took part on the side of the Confederate States. He was wounded several times.

McKinney was a member of the Democratic Party. Since 1869 he was a delegate in the House of Representatives from Virginia for seven legislative sessions. In addition, he was district attorney in Prince Edward County for several years. In 1872 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Also unsuccessful were his candidature for the office of Attorney General of Virginia (1881 ) and for the post of governor of that state in 1885. In 1889 he applied again to this office. His opponent was U.S. Senator William Mahone.

Governor of Virginia

In his election campaign, he sided with the conservative forces in Virginia. He condemned the Republican Party and whipped up fears of an expansion of the rights of African Americans. After winning the election, McKinney was able to take up his post on 1 January 1890, four years exercise until 1 January 1894. During this time, he promoted the economy of his state. At the same time he tried to curb the influence of lobbyists and the railway companies. McKinney joined for an income tax on a state level. He has also strengthened the influence of his party in Virginia, the uninterrupted until 1970 should provide the governors in the following decades. The U.S. senators saw it in this time period is similar.

Further CV

After the expiration of his term of office, McKinney moved from politics to retire. He died in March 1899. From his two marriages he had a total of two children.