Earl Snell

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??^th Oregon Secretary of State
Earl W. Snell

23^rd Governor of Oregon
In office January 11, 1943 – October 28, 1947
Preceded by	Charles A. Sprague
Succeeded by	John Hubert Hall
In office 1935 – 1943

Born	July 11, 1895 Gilliam County, Oregon
Died	October 28, 1947 Lake County, Oregon
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Edith Welshons
Profession	Automobile dealer
Religion	Episcopalian

Earl Willcox Snell (July 11, 1895 - October 28, 1947) was an Oregon businessman American Republican politician, serving in the Oregon State Senate, and as the 23rd Governor of Oregon.

[edit] Early Life and Business Career

Snell was born on a farm in Gilliam County, Oregon, near the small town of Olex, Gilliam County, Oregon. He received a public school education, and attended Oregon Institute of Technology without attaining a degree. After military service during World War I, he settled in Condon, Oregon, where he married Edith Welshons, with whom he would have one son, and published the local newspaper.

He moved to Arlington, Oregon, where he opened with a partner the successful automobile dealership which would be his principal livelihood the rest of his life. He later expanded his business interests to include ranching and banking.

[edit] Political career

After serving on the Arlington City Council, in 1926 he was elected to the first of four consecutive terms in the Oregon House of Representatives, his final term as Speaker. In the 1942 elections, in which Democrats in Oregon made considerable inroads, he successfully sought election as Oregon Secretary of State, resigning as Speaker to serve in that office from 1935 to 1943.

Prevented by a term limit from seeking another term as Secretary of State, Snell decided to challenge his own party's incumbent Governor Charles A. Sprague in the Republican primary. He received strong support from the state automobile dealer's association, and not only gained the nomination, but went on to be elected Governor with 78% of the vote, taking office on January 11, 1943.

Generally recognized as a moderate, Snell's administration was marked by conservationist measures, public works projects and relief programs in line with the federal New Deal programs, and initiatives designed to promote agricultural, timber and industrial interests with a view to expanding Oregon's economy. He overwhelmingly won reelection in 1946, by a margin of more than two to one, but died in office the next year, while flying to southern Oregon on a hunting trip, with Oregon Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell, Jr. and State Senate President Marshall E. Cornett. All three were killed when the small plane crashed in stormy weather near Dog Lake, Lake County, Oregon on October 28, 1947. A state funeral was held for them in the state's capitol, Salem, after which the Governor was buried in Belcrest cemetery near that city.

[edit] References

Earl Wilcox Snell (html). Governors of Oregon. Oregon State Library. Retrieved on 26 November, 2006.
Governor Earl W. Snell: Biographical Note (html). Oregon Governors. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on 26 November, 2006.

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Governors of Oregon