Henderson's Governors

Henderson County was home to four men who distinguished themselves as governor of Kentucky. Lazarus Powell served from 1851 to 1855; his opponent in the gubernatorial race was his former law partner and fellow Hendersonian, Archibald Dixon, and Powell later served in the U.S. Senate from 1859 to 1869. John Young Brown served from 1891 to 1895; in 1868 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives but was denied his seat by Congress because he had served in the Confederate Army, then was reelected to the House in 1873 and permitted to take office. A.O. Stanley served from 11915 to 1919; with a winning margin of just 471 votes, his election was one of the closest races in Kentucky history, and he later served in the U.S. Senate from 1919 to 1925 and in diplomatic positions under several U.S. Presidents. A.B. "Happy" Chandler served from 1935 to 1939 and again from 1955 to 1958; near the end of his first term he was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1939 and later elected to the seat, and he also oversaw the integration of the major leagues as Commissioner of baseball from 1945 to 1951.

Henderson, Kentucky · United States