Secretary of State and Governorship
In 1906, Benson ran for Secretary of State as a Republican, and was elected. Governor George Earle Chamberlain was elected to the United States Senate halfway through his term in 1909 and resigned as governor. As Secretary of State, Frank Benson was next in the gubernatorial line of succession, and was sworn into office March 1, 1909. (There is no Lieutenant Governor position under the State of Oregon's constitution.)
Benson did not resign as Secretary of State, and held both positions in violation of the Oregon Constitution. (Previously, Governor Stephen F. Chadwick, succeeded to the office of governor under similar circumstances in 1877, and held both offices simultaneously in contravention of state law.) Benson collected pay for both offices.
As governor, Benson initiated little despite holding the state's two most powerful offices. He did call for a special session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly to fund the operation of certain state institutions, including the state's prison, reform school, mental hospital, school for the blind, and veteran's home. The legislation had been overlooked in the previous (25th Biennial) Session. Benson attempted to resolve a boundary dispute with neighboring Washington.
Benson was ill when he assumed the office of governor, then his health appeared to improve. In 1910 he traveled to California for further treatment. On June 15, 1910, Benson telephoned his private secretary, and transferred the Governor's powers to Oregon State Senate President Jay Bowerman until he could return to Salem, which he anticipated would be by July 20, 1910. Bowerman was sworn in as Acting Governor on June 16, 1910. However, Benson did not return and remained in California till his death. Bowerman completed the term as governor. In the fall 1910 election, Benson did not seek a full term of office as governor, but he was elected to another term as Secretary of State. His health failed in Redlands, California, and he died on April 14, 1911.
Read more about this topic: Frank W. Benson (Oregon Governor)
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