Lew Wallace (politician)

Lew Wallace (March 27, 1889 – October 14, 1960) was an American Democratic politician from the state of Oregon. He served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly and was a five-time gubernatorial candidate.

Lew Wallace
Member of the Oregon State Senate
In office
January 9, 1939 – January 10, 1949
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
In office
January 14, 1935 – January 11, 1937
Personal details
Born(1889-03-27)March 27, 1889
Furnas County, Nebraska, United States
DiedOctober 14, 1960(1960-10-14) (aged 71)
Portland, Oregon
Resting placeRiver View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon[1]
Political partyDemocratic
ResidencePortland, Oregon

Career

Wallace was born in 1889 in Furnas County, Nebraska.[2] He later moved to Portland, Oregon, where he worked as an insurance agent and was elected to the Oregon House in 1934, and to the Senate in 1938. In 1942, Wallace defeated former Oregon House speaker Howard LaTourette, as well as Grover Fretwell, to win the Democratic nomination for governor.[3] He lost in the general election to Earl Snell, receiving 22% of the vote. Snell's 56-point margin of victory was the largest ever in an Oregon gubernatorial election.[4]

Wallace was an alternate delegate to the 1944 Democratic National Convention and was also a member of the Democratic National Committee in 1944.[2]

In 1946, Wallace ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He lost to incumbent Republican Homer D. Angell.[5] Wallace again ran for governor in 1948, winning the Democratic primary but losing the general election to Douglas McKay, with 45% of the vote.[6]

Wallace made three more runs for governor. In 1950, he lost the Democratic primary to Austin F. Flegel.[7] In 1956, he lost the primary to Robert D. Holmes by less than 3,500 votes; Holmes went on to win the general election.[8][9] In 1958, Wallace lost the primary again to the now-incumbent Holmes by a more substantial margin.[10] He also unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Portland in 1952, finishing third place in the nonpartisan primary.[11]

References
  1. Portland Oregonian, Oct. 15, 1960, p. 1
  2. "Wallace". Political Graveyard. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  3. "OR Governor - D Primary - May 15, 1942". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  4. "OR Governor Race - Nov 03, 1942". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  5. "OR - District 03 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  6. "OR Governor - Special Election 1948". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  7. "Democratic choice for governorship still not clear". The Register-Guard. May 21, 1950. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  8. "OR Governor - D Primary 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  9. "Robert Holmes, Gearhart Democrat, who will oppose Republican Governor Elmo Smith in the general election". Daily Capital Journal. May 19, 1956. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  10. "Rep. Norblad Leads Oregon House Primary". Chicago Tribune. May 17, 1958. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  11. "Portland, OR Mayor - Primary 1952". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
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