Oliver Max Gardner

Oliver Max Gardner ( born March 22, 1882 in Shelby, North Carolina, † February 6, 1947 on the way to England ) was an American politician, he was 57th Governor of North Carolina.

Early years and political rise

Oliver Gardner attended until 1903, the North Carolina State College, and then studied at the University of North Carolina law. After his graduation and admission to the bar he practiced in his hometown of Shelby. In 1908, he founded the so-called North Carolina Young Men's Democratic Club, a kind of youth organization of the Democratic Party in North Carolina. In 1911 and 1915 he was elected to the Senate in each of his country, where he even was in 1915 President of that body. Between 1917 and 1921 he was the Vice- Governor under Governor Thomas Bickett. In the gubernatorial election of 1920, he retired in the primaries against Cameron Morrison. In 1924 he was head of delegation of Democrats from North Carolina to the Federal Convention of the party.

Governor of North Carolina

In 1928 he successfully ran for the office of governor. He assumed his new post on 11 January 1929 and kept it until 5 January 1933. His goal was the further reduction of public debt. In addition, a tax commission was set up, he pushed for the construction of motorways and founded the Highway Police (Highway Patrol ). He reorganized the administrative machinery of the government and promoted education. In his time secret ballots were introduced by law in North Carolina. Was overshadowed his term but from the great global economic depression as a result of the New York stock market crash of October 1929. The governor launched a tool that should benefit mainly the farmers.

More career

After the end of his tenure, he moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as a lawyer. In 1944 was appointed to a committee to promote the war effort (War Mobilization ). In 1946, he was Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for a short time before he was appointed as the American ambassador to Britain. This office he could not compete, however, because he died on the way to England from a stroke.

Oliver Gardner was married to Fay Lamar Webb. The couple had four children.