33 Facts About William Goebel

William Justus Goebel was an American Democratic politician who served as the 34th governor of Kentucky for four days, having been sworn in on his deathbed a day after being shot by an assassin.

William Goebel studied at the Hollingsworth Business College in the mid-1870s and became an apprentice at John W Stevenson's law firm.

William Goebel served in the Kentucky Senate, campaigning for populist causes like railroad regulation, which won him many allies and supporters.

In 1895, William Goebel engaged in a duel with John Lawrence Sandford, a former Confederate general staff officer turned cashier.

William Goebel's father served as a private in Company B, 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, during the American Civil War, and Goebel's mother raised her children alone, teaching them much about their German heritage.

William Goebel attended school in Covington and was then apprenticed to a jeweler in Cincinnati, Ohio.

William Goebel eventually became Stevenson's partner and executor of his estate.

William Goebel then rejoined Stevenson in Covington in 1883, after the death of Stevenson's previous partner.

William Goebel belonged to few social organizations and greeted none but his closest friends with a smile or handshake.

William Goebel was rarely linked romantically with a woman and was the only governor of Kentucky who never married.

William Goebel was not a gifted public speaker, often eschewing flowery imagery and relying on his deep, powerful voice and forceful delivery to drive home his points.

William Goebel was well-read, and supporters and opponents both conceded that his mental prowess was impressive.

In 1887, James William Goebel Bryan vacated his seat in the Kentucky Senate to pursue the office of lieutenant governor.

William Goebel decided to seek election to the vacant seat representing Covington.

William Goebel campaigned on the platform of railroad regulation and labor causes.

However, while William Goebel had to stick close to his allies in the Democratic Party, the Union Labor Party courted the votes of both Democrats and Republicans and made the election close, which was decided in William Goebel's favor by just 56 votes.

William Goebel served on the committee, which uncovered significant violations by the railroad lobby.

William Goebel helped defeat the bill to abolish the Railroad Commission in the Senate.

William Goebel was well able to broker deals with fellow lawmakers and was equally able and willing to break the deals if a better deal came along.

William Goebel served as a delegate to Kentucky's fourth constitutional convention in 1890, which produced the current Constitution of Kentucky.

The convention was in session for approximately 250 days, but William Goebel was present for approximately only 100 days.

In 1895, William Goebel engaged in what many observers considered to be a duel with John Lawrence Sandford.

William Goebel suggested they avoid Sandford's bank, but Sandford, standing outside the bank, spoke to the men before they could cross the street to a different bank.

However, William Goebel noticed that Sandford's right hand was on a pistol concealed in his pocket.

William Goebel's shot fatally struck Sandford in the head; Sandford died five hours later.

William Goebel proposed a bill, known as the "William Goebel Election Law", which passed along strict party lines and over Governor Bradley's veto, created a three-member state election commission, appointed by the General Assembly, to choose the county election commissioners.

William Goebel became the subject of much opposition from constituencies of both parties in Kentucky after the passage of the law.

Subsequently, Republican William Goebel McKinley won the 1896 presidential election, carrying Kentucky.

When Hardin appeared to be the front-runner for the nomination, Stone and William Goebel agreed to work together against him.

Enough of them sided with William Goebel to give him the nomination.

Nevertheless, flanked by two bodyguards, William Goebel walked to the Old State Capitol on the morning of January 30,1900.

That evening, the day after being shot, William Goebel was sworn in as Governor.

William Goebel backed the prosecution's claims that Taylor and Powers worked out the details; he had acted as an intermediary, and Howard fired the shot.