William Henry Wills
(October 26, 1882 ? March 6, 1946) was an American politician from the
U.S.
state of
Vermont
. He was the
61st
lieutenant governor of Vermont
from 1937 to 1941 and the
65th
governor of Vermont
from 1941 to 1945. In 1944, Wills was a delegate to the
Republican National Convention
.
[1]
William Henry Wills
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Wm_Henry_Wills.jpg/220px-Wm_Henry_Wills.jpg) William H. Wills in 1944
|
|
|
In office
July 23, 1945?? March 6, 1946
|
Preceded by
| Norman S. Case
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Rosel H. Hyde
|
---|
|
In office
January 9, 1941?? January 4, 1945
|
Lieutenant
| Mortimer R. Proctor
|
---|
Preceded by
| George Aiken
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Mortimer R. Proctor
|
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|
In office
January 7, 1937?? January 9, 1941
|
Governor
| George Aiken
|
---|
Preceded by
| George Aiken
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Mortimer R. Proctor
|
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|
In office
January 9, 1935?? January 7, 1937
Serving with Harry C. Beebe
|
Preceded by
| Frank C. Archibald
, Cebra Q. Graves
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Leon M. Cole, Edward A. Tobin
|
---|
In office
January 7, 1931?? January 4, 1933
Serving with Richard M. Campbell
|
Preceded by
| William B. Edgerton, Daniel F. Gardner
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Frank C. Archibald, Cebra Q. Graves
|
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|
In office
January 9, 1929?? January 7, 1931
|
Preceded by
| Cyrus S. Estes
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Edward F. Horst
|
---|
|
|
Born
| (
1882-10-26
)
October 26, 1882
Chicago, Illinois
, U.S.
|
---|
Died
| March 6, 1946
(1946-03-06)
(aged?63)
Brockton, Massachusetts
, U.S.
|
---|
Resting place
| Park Lawn Cemetery, Bennington, Vermont, U.S.
|
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Political party
| Republican
|
---|
Spouse
| Hazel McLeod (m. 1914-1946, his death)
|
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Relations
| James Henry Wills (father)
Alzina Brown Wills (mother)
|
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Children
| 1
|
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Occupation
| Insurance agent, real estate broker, politician
|
---|
|
Wills was born in
Chicago
,
Illinois
, where his family lived for the first ten years of his life. When his father, James Henry Wills, died, his mother Alzina moved to
Vergennes, Vermont
, to live near relatives, and he lived there for eight years. At eighteen, he moved to
Bennington
, where he worked at several occupations, including selling shoes. He was married to Hazel McLeod and they had one child.
[2]
Wills started an insurance company in 1915, and was also involved in other financial services. He got into electoral politics in the 1920s, winning election to the
Vermont House of Representatives
in 1928, representing Bennington; he won a
Bennington County
Senate
seat in the following election (1930), and was chosen
president
pro tempore
of that body. Wills chose to run for lieutenant governor in 1932, but lost the nomination to
Charles Manley Smith
. Returning to the Senate in the 1934 election, Wills was again elected president
pro tempore
of the Vermont State Senate. In 1936, Wills again ran for lieutenant governor, this time winning the election to succeed
George Aiken
(who was elected governor), and won again in 1938.
[3]
Wills was elected governor in 1940, succeeding Aiken, who chose to run for the
United States Senate
. He won again in 1942, but chose not to seek a third term, citing poor health. Among the policies he successfully championed as governor were the institution of a merit system for state employees and a minimum wage for teachers.
[3]
He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor
Mortimer R. Proctor
. By the time he left office, Wills had received honorary
LL.D.
degrees from
Norwich University
,
Middlebury College
and the
University of Vermont
.
[4]
He was president of the board of trustees of the
Episcopal Diocese of Vermont
. He was also on the board of a number of other charities, and was a
Freemason
, an
Elk
, and an
Odd Fellow
.
[5]
He was a delegate to the
1944 Republican National Convention
.
[6]
Wills was nominated by
President
Harry Truman
to replace
Federal Communications Commission
member
Norman S. Case
on June 13, 1945, for the seven-year term beginning July 1, 1945.
[7]
He was confirmed on
unanimous consent
by the
Senate
on July 12, a few hours after a brief hearing before the Senate
Interstate Commerce Committee
.
[8]
He took the oath of office on July 23, 1945.
[4]
Wills served until his death on March 6, 1946.
[9]
He died while presiding over an FCC hearing in
Brockton, Massachusetts
.
[1]
[3]
He is interred at Park Lawn Cemetery in Bennington.
[10]
- ^
a
b
"Index to Politicians: Willison to Wilsnack"
. PoliticalGraveyard.com. December 12, 2011
. Retrieved
2012-01-06
.
- ^
"William H. Wills"
. National Governors Association
. Retrieved
19 November
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Vermont Governor William H. Wills"
.
National Governors Association
. Retrieved
2012-01-08
.
- ^
a
b
"Wills Takes Oath At Washington As Member of FCC"
.
The Burlington Free Press
. Burlington, VT. July 25, 1945. p.?2 ? via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"FCC Nominee Is Stickler for Truth".
Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising
.
28
(26). Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc.: 13 June 18, 1945.
- ^
"William H. Wills"
. The Political Graveyard
. Retrieved
19 November
2012
.
- ^
"Truman Nominates Wills to Succeed Case".
Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising
.
28
(26): 13. June 18, 1945.
- ^
Beatty, J. Frank (July 16, 1945). "Wills Nomination to the FCC Quickly Confirmed by Senate".
Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising
.
29
(3): 77.
- ^
"Complete list of FCC Commissioners from 1934 to Present"
. Retrieved
2012-01-06
.
- ^
"William H. Wills, Former Vermont Governor, Dead"
.
Troy Record
. Troy, NY. United Press. March 6, 1946. p.?1 ? via
Newspapers.com
.