William Macklin Cross
Oklahoma Secretary of State
In office
November 16, 1907 – August 3, 1910
GovernorCharles N. Haskell
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byThomas Smith
Personal details
Born(1847-07-04)July 4, 1847
Purdy, Tennessee
DiedAugust 3, 1910(1910-08-03) (aged 63)
Political partyDemocratic Party

William Macklin Cross (July 4, 1847 – August 3, 1910) was an American politician who served as the first Oklahoma Secretary of State from November 16, 1907, to August 3, 1910.

Early life and military career

William Macklin Cross born on July 4, 1847, in Purdy, Tennessee. At fourteen he joined Confederate States Army, serving in the 154th Tennessee Infantry Regiment as a drummer in Company K. He fought alongside his father at the Battle of Shiloh where his father was killed and he was captured. After a prisoner of war exchange, Cross returned to service under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. After the war he attended Kentucky University in Lexington, but dropped out after a year due to being unable to afford tuition. He eventually became a travelling salesman and moved to Oklahoma.[1]

Political career

He was an unsuccessfully candidate for Oklahoma Territory's at-large congressional district in 1902. In 1907 he was elected as the first Oklahoma Secretary of State.[1] In 1909, he refused to accept a petition for a state question to allow women to vote from Kate Himrod Biggers because she was not a registered voter. J. Luther Langston and James B. A. Robertson later submitted the petition for her, which Cross accepted.[2] He died in office on August 3, 1910, after winning the 1910 Democratic primary for Oklahoma State Auditor. After his death, his body lied in state at the Guthrie Masonic Temple draped in a Confederate flag. His eulogy was given by newspaperman and former territorial legislator Frank Hilton Greer.[3]

Electoral history

1907 Oklahoma Secretary of State election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic William Macklin Cross 133,504 54.8 New
Republican Thomas M. Robnett 100,159 41.1 New
Socialist J.G. Watrus 9,601 3.9 New
Democratic gain from Swing N/A
Oklahoma State Auditor Democratic primary (August 2, 1910)[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Macklin Cross 59,018 54.9%
Democratic H.S. Blair 18,332 17.1%
Democratic H.A. Tucker 15,499 14.5%
Democratic W.F. Gilmer 14,540 13.5%
Turnout 107,389  

References

  1. 1 2 Joseph B. Thoburn (1916). A Standard History of Oklahoma. Chicago and New York. pp. 712–713. Retrieved 26 September 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ Brown, Diane. "How Women Got the Vote in Oklahoma" (PDF). lwv.org. League of Women Voters. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Phillips, Mary (August 6, 2018). "The Archivist: A busy Aug. 5". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 "1907-1912 Results" (PDF). oklahoma.gov. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
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