Lee Cruce - Governor of Oklahoma

Governor of Oklahoma

Before Governor Haskell's term ended in 1911, Lee once again sought the Democratic nomination for governor. This time Cruce was successful. Defeating his Republican opponent, Cruce stepped in to fill Haskell's vacated office and was inaugurated as the second Governor of Oklahoma on January 9, 1911.

Despite the fact that Haskell and Cruce were both Democrats, that is where the similarities end. Whereas Haskell exercised extensive executive control over the Oklahoma Legislature (mainly through his force of personality), Cruce lost much of the executive power Haskell established. As Governor, Cruce continually struggled for power against the Legislature throughout his term. Despite his lacking Haskell's control, Cruce still managed to complete many projects he initiated. Cruce’s first major success came in the realm of automotives. With the increase in automobiles, the Legislature acted upon Cruce’s commendation and established the Oklahoma Department of Highways in 1911. Roads were improved with funds generated from an annual one-dollar license fee.

Next on the Governor's agenda was to construction of the Oklahoma State Capitol in the State's capitol, which Haskell officially moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910. Under the supervision of Cruce, the Legislature established the three member State Capitol Commission in 1913. This commission was charged with purchasing land for the Oklahoma’s new State Capitol Building. After purchasing the desired property in downtown Oklahoma City, on July 20, 1914, groundbreaking began. Then on November 16, 1915 (Oklahoma's 8th birthday) the cornerstone was laid in Masonic fashion and construction began.

Believing the State needed to take on a greater moral role, Cruce supported enforcement of blue laws. Through specific legislation, Cruce and the Legislature closed businesses on Sundays, and declared prize fighting, gambling, bootlegging and horseracing illegal. This, combined with Haskell's prohibition plan, proved too much for the State to handle. The Legislature did not possess the funds needed to finance the operations and only ended up shifting funds around from one law enforcement agency to another. Cruce, on numerous occasions, in his role as Commander-in-Chief, called out the state militia to enforce his laws. The most famous of these events occurred when Cruce declared martial law in Tulsa to prevent a horserace from taking place. The race was brought to a halt as shots were fired over the heads of the jockeys.

Much like his desires for a greater morality of the state, Cruce was an avid abolitionist when it came to the use of capital punishment throughout the state. Pioneering the movement to abolish capital punishment, Cruce commuted twenty-two death sentences to life imprisonment and only one execution took place during his administration. Congressional reapportionments nearly resulted in the downfall of Cruce's administration. In 1912, Cruce vetoed a bill to reapportion the state into eight congressional districts designed to minimize Republican voting strength. This veto as well as the Governor's attempts to abolish some public institutions for economic reasons, led the legislature to investigate the executive branch. As a result, the State Auditor, State Insurance Commissioner, and State Printer were impeached. Cruce himself escaped impeachment in the Oklahoma House of Representatives by a single vote, similar to U.S. President Andrew Johnson. (Johnson was impeached, but was acquitted in the Senate by a single vote.)

By the end of his term in 1915, the voters were, for the most part, ready for a change. Looking for a new Governor, the voters looked to Governor Haskell's friend and then Chief Justice of Oklahoma Robert L. Williams. Elected in 1914 following the end of his only term on the Court, Williams became the third Governor of Oklahoma.