Political Career of Ernest Whitworth Marland

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to analyze the public career of Ernest Whitwort:.h Marland, a congressman from 1932 until 1934 and the tenth governor of Oklahoma. Marland' s life and political career were molded by the economic depression in the United States. He matured in a world of industrial activity which imbued him with a spirit of individualism which brought him two f ort:.unes. After he lost his last and greatest private fort:.une he, like many other Americans in the early days of the depression, questioned the American economic system. Marland turned to the government for answers. His personal ambition, coupled with his faith in the power of government to rule wisely and efficiently, led him into a political career in which he sought to bring Oklahoma into line with the national recovery program of Franklin D. Roosevelt. As governor he began a "Little New Deal," but it suffered when confronted with the realities of human nature and politics. l'Iarland' s own personal ambitions likewise suffered when he .was defeated in senatorial contests in 1936 and 1938, but he contributed much to Oklahoma. His energetic effort:.s to bring the full force of national re'Covery to the state helped alleviate the suffering of his fellow Oklahomans. The focus of the thesis is upon Harland as a political figure; national and state developments are mentioned as they relate to his career.