Difference between revisions of "Walter M. Pierce"
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{{cquote|'''The child is not the mere creature of the state.'''}} | {{cquote|'''The child is not the mere creature of the state.'''}} | ||
| − | Considered to have been liberal, Pierce pushed for the establishment of a statewide [[income tax]].<ref>[https://www.nga.org/governor/walter-marcus-pierce/ Gov. Walter Marcus Pierce]. ''National Governors Association''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> In 1923, he supported the Alien Property Act which sought to prevent Japanese immigrants from owning or leasing land.<ref name=oregonencyclopediabio/> | + | Considered to have been liberal, Pierce pushed for the establishment of a statewide [[income tax]] and government-owned hydroelectric projects.<ref>[https://www.nga.org/governor/walter-marcus-pierce/ Gov. Walter Marcus Pierce]. ''National Governors Association''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> In 1923, he supported the Alien Property Act which sought to prevent Japanese immigrants from owning or leasing land.<ref name=oregonencyclopediabio/> |
===U.S. House of Representatives=== | ===U.S. House of Representatives=== | ||
Revision as of 14:45, July 3, 2021
| Walter Marcus Pierce | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Representative from Oregon's 2nd Congressional District From: March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943 | |||
| Predecessor | Robert R. Butler | ||
| Successor | Lowell Stockman | ||
| Former Governor of Oregon From: January 8, 1923 – January 10, 1927 | |||
| Predecessor | Benjamin W. "Ben" Olcott | ||
| Successor | I. L. Patterson | ||
| Former State Senator from Oregon From: 1917–1921 | |||
| Predecessor | ??? | ||
| Successor | ??? | ||
| Former State Senator from Oregon From: 1903–1907 | |||
| Predecessor | ??? | ||
| Successor | ??? | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Clara Rudio (died 1890) Laura Rudio (died 1925) Cornelia Marvin | ||
Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was the racist liberal Democrat from Oregon who was the state's governor in the 1920s and later was the U.S. representative from the 2nd congressional district.
Political career
Governor of Oregon
A progressive and ally of the Ku Klux Klan,[1][2] Pierce faced incumbent Republican Benjamin W. Olcott in the general election. During the campaign, Olcott issued a proclamation which denounced the Klan for three assaults the terrorist group perpetrated.[3] However, Pierce won the general election by fifteen percentage points.[4]
Pierce backed the Klan's agenda by supporting the Compulsory Public Education Act, which forced all children in the state to attend public schools.[2] It was especially aimed to prevent Catholics, who the KKK despised, from being able to send their children to private schools. Although the ballot measure passed by five percentage points,[5] the Act was struck down three years later in the United States Supreme Court case Pierce v. Society of Sisters,[2] where the unanimous opinion stated:[6]
| “ | The child is not the mere creature of the state. | ” |
Considered to have been liberal, Pierce pushed for the establishment of a statewide income tax and government-owned hydroelectric projects.[7] In 1923, he supported the Alien Property Act which sought to prevent Japanese immigrants from owning or leasing land.[1]
U.S. House of Representatives
Similar to a number of liberals/progressives during World War II such as California governor Culbert Olson, Pierce supported the internment of Japanese-Americans ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[1][8]
Legacy
Nearly a century after the fight over schooling in Oregon during the 1920s, leftists including teachers' unions and BLM[9][10] have tried to undermine school choice and religious liberty with the same anti-Catholic attempts that Pierce and the Klan used, ultimately failing after a 2020 Supreme Court ruling.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Walter Pierce (1861-1954). Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 DeMarco, Donald (August 5, 2011). How Some Nuns Defeated the Ku Klux Klan. National Catholic Register. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Proclamation Against the Ku Klux Klan, 1922. The Oregon History Project. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ OR Governor Race - Nov 07, 1922. Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Oregon Compulsory Public Education, Measure 6 (1922). Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Pierce v. Society of Sisters. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Gov. Walter Marcus Pierce. National Governors Association. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ A Mixed Reception: Japanese Americans Return to Oregon. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Russell, Jason (September 8, 2016). Black Lives Matter leader quits over school choice. Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Williams, Thomas D. (July 1, 2020). Catholic League Compares BLM and Democrats to Ku Klux Klan. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Berry, Susan (July 1, 2020). Lead Attorney in SCOTUS Espinoza Case: School Choice Critics Hiding Behind KKK Anti-Catholic Amendments. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 3, 2021.