Wilburn Cartwright (January 12, 1892 – March 14, 1979) was a lawyer, educator, politician, and United States Army officer in World War II. The town of Cartwright, Oklahoma is named after him. He self-styled himself "the most elected man in Oklahoma government"[1] and served in elected office in both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, as a school superintendent, United States House of Representatives member for Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district, Oklahoma Secretary of State, Oklahoma State Auditor, and on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
Wilburn Cartwright | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner | |
| In office 1955-1973 | |
| Governor | Raymond D. Gary J. Howard Edmondson George Nigh Henry Bellmon Dewey F. Bartlett David Hall |
| Preceded by | Reford Bond |
| Succeeded by | Rex Privett |
| Oklahoma State Auditor | |
| In office 1951-1955 | |
| Governor | Johnston Murray |
| Preceded by | A. S. J. Shaw |
| Succeeded by | A. S. J. Shaw |
| Oklahoma Secretary of State | |
| In office 1947-1951 | |
| Governor | Roy J. Turner |
| Preceded by | Kathrine Manton |
| Succeeded by | John D. Conner |
| Chairman of the Committee on Roads | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1927 – January 3, 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Charles D. Carter |
| Succeeded by | Paul Stewart |
| Superintendent of Schools for Krebs, Oklahoma | |
| In office 1922-1926 | |
| Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 20th district | |
| In office 1918-1922 | |
| Preceded by | John R. Hickman |
| Succeeded by | Thomas F. Memminger |
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the Coal County district | |
| In office 1914-1918 | |
| Preceded by | George T. Searcy |
| Succeeded by | F. Brinkworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 12, 1892 Georgetown, Tennessee, US |
| Died | March 14, 1979 (aged 87) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Carrie Staggs |
| Children | Doralyn Cartwright Wilburta May Cartwright |
| Parent(s) | Rev. Jackson Robert Cartwright Emma Josephine Baker-Cartwright |
| Relatives | Peter Cartwright (great-great uncle) Keith Cartwright (brother) Buck Cartwright (brother) Jan Eric Cartwright (nephew) Earl Cartwright (cousin) |
| Alma mater | State Teachers College University of Oklahoma College of Law University of Chicago |
| Occupation | teacher, lawyer, politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Early life
editBorn on a farm near Georgetown, Tennessee, Cartwright moved with his parents to the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, in 1903. He attended the public schools at Wapanucka and Ada, Oklahoma, and State Teachers College at Durant, Oklahoma.[1]
Early career
editAs an educator he taught in the schools of Coal, Atoka, Bryan, and Pittsburg Counties in Oklahoma from 1914 to 1926. During World War I he served as a private in the Student Army Training Corps in 1917 and 1918. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1917. He was graduated from the law department of the University of Oklahoma at Norman in 1920. Afterwards he began a law practice in McAlester, Oklahoma. Additionally he took postgraduate work at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. He served as member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1914 to 1918, and then as a member of the State Senate from 1918 until 1922. Cartwright was a vocational adviser for disabled veterans at McAlester, Oklahoma, in 1921 and 1922. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Congress in 1922 and 1924, and served as Superintendent of schools at Krebs, Oklahoma from 1922 to 1926.[1]
Family
editWilburn's great-great uncle was Peter Cartwright, who had defeated Abraham Lincoln in an Illinois legislative race.[1]
His two daughters were Wilburta May Cartwright (May 13, 1928-January 26, 2012)[2] and Doralyn Emma Cartwright (Lynn Cartwright), who was an actress that was married to actor Leo Gordon.[1]
His nephew, Jan Eric Cartwright, was the Oklahoma Attorney General from 1979 to 1983.[1]
His siblings were Floyd, Gerty, McKinley, Shafter, Dewey, Cecil, Keith, and Clifford (Buck). The last two were also Oklahoma state legislators.[1]
His father, Jackson Robert Cartwright, was a Baptist preacher and served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1929 and 1931.[3]
United States Congress
editCartwright was elected as a Democrat to the Seventieth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1927 - January 3, 1943). He served as chairman of the Committee on Roads (Seventy-third through Seventy-seventh Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1942. Cartwright was a supporter of the New Deal public works projects in his district.[1]
Military career
editHe served as a major in the United States Army, Allied Military Government, with service in Africa and Europe from 1943 until he was injured. He returned to the United States as an instructor at Fort Custer, Michigan, in 1945. He was employed with the Veterans' Administration at Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1945 and 1946.[1]
Later life
editCartwright was elected Secretary of State of Oklahoma for four-year term in 1946. Cartwright was elected State auditor for four-year term in 1950. Cartwright was elected State corporation commissioner for six-year term in 1954 and reelected in 1960 and 1966. He was a resident of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma until his death there on March 14, 1979. He was interred in I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Norman, Oklahoma.[1]
References
edit- United States Congress. "Wilburn Cartwright (id: C000207)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kosmerick, Todd J. "Cartwright, Wilburn (1891–1979)". okhistory.org. The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Wilburta Cartwright Locke". obituaries.duncanbanner.com. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "ALL MEMBERS OF THE OKLAHOMA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES" (PDF). okhouse.gov. Oklahoma House of Representatives. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
External links
edit
- "Cartwright, Wilburn" (1891-1979), Oklahoma Historical Society.
- Wilburn Cartwright Collection and Photograph Collection at the Carl Albert Center
- Wilburn Cartwright at Find a Grave