Emerson Harrington was born to John E. Harrington and Elizabeth Thompson Harrington in the town of Madison in Dorchester County, Maryland. He attended the public schools of Madison until he turned 16, at which point he went on to attend St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. He received a bachelor's degree in 1884 and a master's degree two years later.[4] He became a tutor at the college after graduation, and, as a result of an instructor falling ill, was elected to be an assistant professor. Before assuming his new position, he accepted a position as principal at the Cambridge Academy, a position he served in for 12 years. He married Gertrude Johnson on June 27, 1893, and with her had three children, Emerson C. Jr., Mary Virginia, and William Johnson.
State political career
After studying law, Harrington was admitted to the bar in 1898 and commenced practice soon thereafter. In 1899, he was elected as the State's Attorney for Dorchester County,[3] and served in that position until his election defeat in 1903. As state's attorney, Harrington gained a reputation as a hard-liner, and was an aggressive prosecutor. This, along with party conflict, contributed to his defeat.
Harrington resumed the practice of law in Cambridge, Maryland in 1903. In 1910, he was appointed as Insurance Commissioner,[4] a position he served in until he was elected Comptroller of Maryland in 1911. During the election, he defeated Republican challenger John A. Cunningham by 7,800 votes. Harrington was re-elected two years later, defeating challenger Oliver Metzerott by a comfortable margin.
Governor of Maryland
In 1915, Harrington chose to run for Governor of Maryland. During the heated Democratic primary, Harrington's opponent Blair Lee I accused him of poorly managing the state's finances during his tenure as Comptroller, and Baltimore Mayor John H. Preston spoke ill of Harrington regarding his handling of a dispute between Baltimore City and Pennsylvania Railroad. The disputes were settled, however, and Harrington won the Democratic primary. During the general election, Harrington defeated Republican Ovington E. Weller by 3,181 votes and was sworn in as governor on January 12, 1916.
As governor, one of Harrington's primary initiatives was to establish a ferry service between the Eastern Shore and Annapolis. The Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry Company began service in June 1919, and the first ferry was named after the governor. During World War I, Harrington established the Council of Defense, which assisted in the establishment of armories throughout the state, including at the Maryland Agricultural College. The council also lobbied for the creation of a military base, which later became Fort George G. Meade.
Regarding social issues of his era, Harrington's views on women's suffrage and prohibition caused surprise to many Marylanders. In a state that was widely considered to be "wet", or in favor of legal alcohol, Harrington caused a great deal of upheaval when he announced his support of prohibition, citing concerns for the common welfare. He also surprised his constituents with his support of the proposal to grant voting rights to women, even though he was believed to be against such an initiative.
Harrington's term as governor ended on January 14, 1920, and afterwards he returned to his law practice. He remained active in politics, but was unsuccessful in an election for judge of the First Judicial Circuit in 1926, and was again unsuccessful in an election for the First Congressional District of Maryland. Harrington served as President of the People's Loan, Savings and Deposit Bank of Cambridge, Maryland, and also as the President of the President of the Annapolis-Claiborne Ferry Company, that he had established as governor, until operations were taken over by the state.
He died at his home in December 1945 from a short illness, and was buried in the cemetery of the Christ Episcopal Church in Cambridge, Maryland.[4]
References
^"Emerson C. Harrington (1864-1945) Biographical Series; Governor of Maryland, 1916-1920 (Democrat)". Archives of Maryland, MSA SC 3520-1479. Maryland State Government. November 12, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
^White, Jr., Frank F. (1970). The Governors of Maryland 1777-1970. Annapolis: The Hall of Records Commission. pp. 251–254. ISBN978-0942370010. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
^ ab"Emerson C. Harrington, MSA SC 3520-1479". Msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
^ abc"Emerson Columbus Harrington". Nga.org. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
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Not to be confused with Harrington Emerson This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Emerson Harrington news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Emerson Columbus Harrington March 26 1864 December 15 1945 was an American politician serving as the 48th Governor of Maryland from 1916 to 1920 He also served as Comptroller of the Maryland Treasury from 1912 to 1916 1 2 3 Emerson HarringtonChair of the National Governors AssociationIn office 1918 1919Preceded byArthur CapperSucceeded byHenry Justin Allen48th Governor of MarylandIn office January 12 1916 January 14 1920Preceded byPhillips GoldsboroughSucceeded byAlbert Ritchie23rd Comptroller of MarylandIn office January 10 1912 January 12 1916GovernorPhillips GoldsboroughPreceded byCharles H StanleySucceeded byHugh A McMullenPersonal detailsBornEmerson Columbus Harrington 1864 03 26 March 26 1864Madison Maryland U S DiedDecember 15 1945 1945 12 15 aged 81 Cambridge Maryland U S Political partyDemocraticSpouseGertrude JohnsonChildren3EducationSt John s College Maryland BA MA Contents 1 Early life career and family 2 State political career 3 Governor of Maryland 4 ReferencesEarly life career and family EditEmerson Harrington was born to John E Harrington and Elizabeth Thompson Harrington in the town of Madison in Dorchester County Maryland He attended the public schools of Madison until he turned 16 at which point he went on to attend St John s College in Annapolis Maryland He received a bachelor s degree in 1884 and a master s degree two years later 4 He became a tutor at the college after graduation and as a result of an instructor falling ill was elected to be an assistant professor Before assuming his new position he accepted a position as principal at the Cambridge Academy a position he served in for 12 years He married Gertrude Johnson on June 27 1893 and with her had three children Emerson C Jr Mary Virginia and William Johnson State political career EditAfter studying law Harrington was admitted to the bar in 1898 and commenced practice soon thereafter In 1899 he was elected as the State s Attorney for Dorchester County 3 and served in that position until his election defeat in 1903 As state s attorney Harrington gained a reputation as a hard liner and was an aggressive prosecutor This along with party conflict contributed to his defeat Harrington resumed the practice of law in Cambridge Maryland in 1903 In 1910 he was appointed as Insurance Commissioner 4 a position he served in until he was elected Comptroller of Maryland in 1911 During the election he defeated Republican challenger John A Cunningham by 7 800 votes Harrington was re elected two years later defeating challenger Oliver Metzerott by a comfortable margin Governor of Maryland EditIn 1915 Harrington chose to run for Governor of Maryland During the heated Democratic primary Harrington s opponent Blair Lee I accused him of poorly managing the state s finances during his tenure as Comptroller and Baltimore Mayor John H Preston spoke ill of Harrington regarding his handling of a dispute between Baltimore City and Pennsylvania Railroad The disputes were settled however and Harrington won the Democratic primary During the general election Harrington defeated Republican Ovington E Weller by 3 181 votes and was sworn in as governor on January 12 1916 As governor one of Harrington s primary initiatives was to establish a ferry service between the Eastern Shore and Annapolis The Claiborne Annapolis Ferry Company began service in June 1919 and the first ferry was named after the governor During World War I Harrington established the Council of Defense which assisted in the establishment of armories throughout the state including at the Maryland Agricultural College The council also lobbied for the creation of a military base which later became Fort George G Meade Regarding social issues of his era Harrington s views on women s suffrage and prohibition caused surprise to many Marylanders In a state that was widely considered to be wet or in favor of legal alcohol Harrington caused a great deal of upheaval when he announced his support of prohibition citing concerns for the common welfare He also surprised his constituents with his support of the proposal to grant voting rights to women even though he was believed to be against such an initiative Harrington s term as governor ended on January 14 1920 and afterwards he returned to his law practice He remained active in politics but was unsuccessful in an election for judge of the First Judicial Circuit in 1926 and was again unsuccessful in an election for the First Congressional District of Maryland Harrington served as President of the People s Loan Savings and Deposit Bank of Cambridge Maryland and also as the President of the President of the Annapolis Claiborne Ferry Company that he had established as governor until operations were taken over by the state He died at his home in December 1945 from a short illness and was buried in the cemetery of the Christ Episcopal Church in Cambridge Maryland 4 References Edit Emerson C Harrington 1864 1945 Biographical Series Governor of Maryland 1916 1920 Democrat Archives of Maryland MSA SC 3520 1479 Maryland State Government November 12 2015 Retrieved September 11 2018 White Jr Frank F 1970 The Governors of Maryland 1777 1970 Annapolis The Hall of Records Commission pp 251 254 ISBN 978 0942370010 Retrieved September 11 2018 a b Emerson C Harrington MSA SC 3520 1479 Msa maryland gov Retrieved October 3 2017 a b c Emerson Columbus Harrington Nga org Retrieved October 3 2017 Political officesPreceded byCharles H Stanley Comptroller of Maryland1912 1916 Succeeded byHugh A McMullenPreceded byPhillips Goldsborough Governor of Maryland1916 1920 Succeeded byAlbert RitchiePreceded byArthur Capper Chair of the National Governors Association1918 1919 Succeeded byHenry Justin AllenParty political officesPreceded byArthur Pue Gorman Jr Democratic nominee for Governor of Maryland1915 Succeeded byAlbert Ritchie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Emerson Harrington amp oldid 1128508355, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
