Henry Carter Stuart

At 78 years old, Henry Carter Stuart physical status not available right now. We will update Henry Carter Stuart's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Stuart was born to wealth, and became wealthier. Upon their father's death in 1893, he and his brothers Alexander ("Zan") and Dale Carter Stuart took over their father's salt company (which by then had become a cattle company). They built Stuart Land & Cattle into the largest cattle company east of the Mississippi River, with 50,000 agricultural acres in four counties. Generations of fathers and sons worked for the company, and many lived in its semi-feudal company towns which attempted to control their access to liquor. The cattle company and other Stuart enterprises also controlled extensive coal and timber reserves. Ironically, Henry Stuart's only child, Mary Fulton, rebelled against her father's country lifestyle and values.

Stuart started his political activity in 1893, after their father's death. He organizing a statewide referendum for popular election of senators because his favorite candidate, Fitzhugh Lee (former governor and a grandson of Robert E. Lee) had not been selected for U.S. Senate from Virginia by the Virginia General Assembly, which instead elevated an obscure railroad attorney, Thomas Staples Martin. Over the years, Stuart became more aligned with the Democratic political machine run by Martin, but favored farmers more than railroads. Thus, Stuart at the State Corporation Commission regulated railroads and increased what had been extremely low corporate taxes, all of which were popular statewide.

As Russell County's delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902, Stuart helped reform the Reconstruction Era Underwood constitution in many ways. However the new 1902 Constitution also instituted poll taxes and other requirements which disenfranchised many African Americans and poor whites, but facilitated the growth of the Martin political machine, which later became the Byrd Organization. Stuart also served in the State Corporation Commission from 1902 to 1908. Although Stuart wanted to run for Governor in 1909, he acceded to Martin's advice and instead ran for U.S. Congress, but lost to six-term Republican Campbell Bascom Slemp.

In return for that party loyalty, Martin allowed Stuart to run for governor unopposed. Governor Stuart promoted a statewide referendum that prohibited alcohol sales. He also appointed a commission that in 1919 revised the Virginia Code (for the first time in 1887), as well as enacted legislation which rationalized taxation, so local counties could tax real estate and the state other forms of property. This raised state revenues by almost $750,000. in 1915, Stuart endorsed the state senatorial bid of Harry F. Byrd, who a decade later would control what had been the Martin organization. World War I became the major event in Stuart's administration, and he encouraged Virginians to grow food in home gardens to support the national war effort. Stuart also declared martial law in Hopewell, Virginia, a boom town that grew around a munitions plant.

After Stuart's gubernatorial term ended, he served on the federal War Industries Board, then in 1921 formed the "Pay as You Go Roads Association" which fought issuance of road construction bonds to build better highways. The bond-financed highway construction of the Virginia Turnpike System in the area before the Civil War had been disastrous, and led to many bankruptcies.

Source