George Leavens Lilley
63rd Governor of Connecticut
In office
January 6, 1909 – April 21, 1909
LieutenantFrank B. Weeks
Preceded byRollin S. Woodruff
Succeeded byFrank B. Weeks
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1903 – January 5, 1909
Preceded byDistrict established
Succeeded byJohn Q. Tilson
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office
1901–1903
Personal details
BornAugust 3, 1859
Oxford, Massachusetts, US
DiedApril 21, 1909 (aged 49)
Hartford, Connecticut, US
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAnna E. H. Steele
ChildrenFrederick Lilley, John Lilley, Theodore Lilley
Alma materWorcester Technical Institute
Professionrealtor, politician

George Leavens Lilley (August 3, 1859 – April 21, 1909) was an American politician serving as a United States representative and the 63rd governor of Connecticut.

Biography

Born in Oxford, Massachusetts, Lilley was the son of John Leavens Lilley and Caroline W. (Adams) Lilley. He attended the common schools of Oxford, the Worcester High School, and Worcester Technical Institute. He moved to Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1881 and engaged in mercantile pursuits and the real estate business. He married Anna E. H. Steele on June 17, 1884.[1] The couple had three sons, Frederick, John, and Theodore.[2]

Career

A member of Connecticut Republican State Committee from 1901 to 1909, Lilley also served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1901 to 1903.

Lilley was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, and Sixtieth Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1903, to January 5, 1909.[3][4] He did not seek renomination in 1908, having become a candidate for Governor. By resolution of the House of January 20, 1909, the seat was declared to have been vacated on January 6, 1909, for the reason that incumbent had entered upon the duties of the office of Governor of Connecticut the preceding day, however this only occurred because Lilley submitted his letter of resignation to the Governor of Connecticut instead of the Speaker of the House.[5]

Lilley won the 1908 Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected Governor of Connecticut. During his short tenure, he increased funding for the public school system and appropriations were budgeted for a statewide movement against tuberculosis. He also endorsed governing monopolies and establishing a public service commission, but both issues were defeated by the legislature.[6]

Death

Lilley was Governor of Connecticut from January 6, 1909, until his death on April 21, 1909, in Hartford. He was a member of the Union League.

References

  1. ^ "George L. Lilley". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  2. ^ "George L. Lilley". NNDB Soylent Publications. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  3. ^ "George L. Lilley". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  4. ^ "S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903". GovInfo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. 9 November 1903. p. 11. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  5. ^ "George L. Lilley". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  6. ^ "George L. Lilley". National Governors Association. Retrieved 12 December 2012.

External links

Party political offices Preceded byRollin S. Woodruff Republican nominee for Governor of Connecticut 1908 Succeeded byCharles A. Goodwin U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byDistrict established Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's at-large congressional district March 3, 1903 – January 5, 1909 Succeeded byJohn Q. Tilson Political offices Preceded byRollin S. Woodruff Governor of Connecticut 1909 Succeeded byFrank B. Weeks
Governors of Connecticut
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