William Walton Kitchin (October 9, 1866 – November 9, 1924) was the 52nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1909 to 1913.
Contents |
W.W. Kitchin was the son of William H. Kitchin and Maria Figures Arrington. He was born in Scotland Neck, NC.[1] He was the brother of Claude Kitchin and the uncle of Alvin Paul Kitchin, each of whom served in the U.S. Congress. He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1884, studied law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and passed the North Carolina Bar examination in 1887. He practiced law in Roxboro, NC.
On 22 December 1892, W.W. Kitchin married Sue Musette Satterfield of Roxboro, NC.[2] They had six children: Sue Arrington (22 October 1893 - 5 August 1954), William Walton (16 August 1895 - 30 September 1905), Anne Maria (23 October 1897 - 16 January 1995), Elizabeth Gertrude (19 December 1899 - 9 September 1979), Clement Satterfield (19 June 1902 - 21 December 1930), and Musette Satterfield (10 August 1906 - 17 October 1996). The children related stories of how kind he was to the hired help at the Governor's Mansion, going so far as to offer them time off one Christmas. This greatly disappointed the employees as they looked forward to the annual event. The children also enjoyed roller skating through the Governor's Mansion.
In 1892, he ran unsuccessfully for the North Carolina Senate but was later elected for six terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1897 to 1909. With other members of his family, he was an active participant in leading to the approval of a state constitutional amendment in 1900 placing numerous disabilities on the right of black Tar Heels to vote. Limited to one term as governor by the state constitution of the time, Kitchin ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 1912.[3] His tenure as governor was highly productive: he increased expenditures for public education and public health services, oversaw expansion of railroads and increased stability of the state's banks.[4]
After completing his term, Governor Kitchin practiced law in Raleigh, NC until 1919, when his declining health led him to retire to his home in Scotland Neck, NC. He died in 1924 and is buried in the Scotland Neck Baptist Cemetery.[5]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Settle III |
United States Representative from North Carolina's 5th congressional district 1897-1909 |
Succeeded by John M. Morehead |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert Broadnax Glenn |
Governor of North Carolina 1909-1913 |
Succeeded by Locke Craig |