E. W. Marland
Encyclopedia
Ernest Whitworth Marland (May 8, 1874 – October 3, 1941) was an American lawyer, oil businessman
, and politician who served as the tenth Governor of Oklahoma
.
Law School
at the age of nineteen in 1893. Marland would move back to Pittsburgh and would step up private practice. Through his experiences as an attorney, Marland became interested in geology and entered the oil industry. At the age of 33, Marland had become a self made millionaire.
Unfortunately for Marland, the millions he had amassed were lost following the panic of 1907
. By 1908, Marland was broke and without a job. Hoping to start his life over again, Marland moved to the new state of Oklahoma
. Once in Oklahoma, Marland settled in Ponca City, Oklahoma
and resumed his oil career founding the 101 Ranch Oil Company
. Marland was successful in reestablishing his fortune, and by 1920, his fortune was estimated at $85,000,000 (roughly $910,000,000 in modern dollars).
In 1920, Marland founded the Marland Oil Company
in Ponca City, (which was incorporated in Delaware on October 8, 1920) and would serve as its president. Later, the Marland Oil Company would merge with Continental Oil and Transportation Company (CONOCO)
. Misfortune would strike Marland again. Due to his company’s association with J.P. Morgan, Marland’s oil empire would be destroyed and Marland would lose all of his wealth for the second time in his life.
In the early 1920s, Marland decided to create a statue commemorating the Pioneer Woman. Marland was asked, "E. W., why don't you have sculptor Jo Davidson
make a statue to the vanishing American, a Ponca, Otoe, or an Osage – a monument of great size?" Marland answered "the Indian is not the vanishing American – it's the pioneer woman."
Marland commissioned twelve miniature 3 foot (0.9144 m) sculptures that were submitted by US and international sculptors as models for the Pioneer Woman statue. The commission that Marland paid each sculptor has been variously cited as $10,000 and as $2,000 for each submission. The miniatures traveled to twelve cities where they were viewed by 750,000 people who cast votes for their favorite.
The twelve submissions included "Protective" by John Gregory
; "Determined" by Maurice Sterne
; "Challenging" by Hermon Atkins MacNeil
; "Affectionate" by James E. Fraser
; "Self-Reliant" by Alexander Stirling Calder
; "Fearless" by Wheeler Williams
; "Heroic" by Mario Korbel
; "Adventurous" by F. Lynn Jenkins; "Sturdy" by Mahonri Young
and "Faithful" by Arthur Lee
; "Trusting" by Jo Davidson
; and "Confident" by Bryant Baker
. The New York Times reported on March 27, 1927 that the exhibition had arrived in New York City and that it had attracted "more interest than any exhibition of sculpture New York has known in a long while." The twelve models were exhibited for three weeks in the Reinhardt Galleries and Bryant Baker's model was the winner of the first place in the New York balloting. The Times Reported that "Baker not only won first honors, but was the last man to enter the contest having no more than a month to prepare his model and obtain a casting." Marland pronounced himself pleased with the models. "I believe all of the sculptors have done well," said Marland. "We could select any one of the twelve figures and get an excellent interpretation of the frontier woman. the decision will be a hard one to make. I expect to be guided largely by public taste, but the final decision will be my own. This national vote is going to show exactly what the American people think about one of the greatest of their women," Marland added.
The exhibition touched a popular chord in American culture of the time. The New York Times reported on March 27, 1927 that among those who visited the exhibition at the Reinhardt Galleries was 91 year old Betty Wollman who as a young bride had journeyed from St. Louis to Leavenworth, Kansas in 1855 and had once entertained Abraham Lincoln as a dinner guest in the Wollman household in Leavenworth long before Lincoln was a candidate for President. Wollman spoke about women's role during pioneer days in the old west and congratulated Marland for his proposal to erect a statue to the Pioneer Woman. "Mr. Marland is to be congratulated for doing this in commemoration of these early women of the West," said Wollman. "The hardships were many, and the courage and self-denial of the women who worked side by side with their husbands and sons and brothers in those primitive days are largely responsible for the development of the Middle Western States, now so rich in everything that goes to make life worth living."
The winning statue nationwide was "Confident," produced by British-born American sculptor Bryant Baker
. It is believed that Marland's personal favorite was "Trusting" by Jo Davidson who had also sculpted statues of Marland, his stepdaughter (later his wife) Lydie
, and her brother George.
Baker's sculpture was unveiled in Ponca City in a public ceremony on April 22, 1930 when forty thousand guests came to hear Will Rogers
pay tribute to Oklahoma's pioneers. President Hoover addressed the nation over a nation-wide radio network for the commemoration of the statue. "It was those women who carried the refinement, the moral character and spiritual force into the West," said Hoover. "Not only they bore great burdens of daily toil and the rearing of families, but there were intent that their children should have a chance, that the doors of opportunity," added Hoover. The finished statue of the Pioneer Woman Statue was 27 feet (8.2 m) high and weighed 12,000 pounds.
programs from the beginning of FDR’s presidency
. Through his association with FDR, Marland was elected to the United States House of Representatives
to represent Oklahoma’s 8th Congressional District
in 1932. Marland would be the first Democrat to hold that seat in 15 years.
Marland would only serve in Congress for a single term, from 1933 to 1935. Marland declined reelection after he placed his name in the Democratic primaries to succeed Governor William H. Murray
. Marland won both the Democratic nomination and the election in November to serve as the tenth Governor of Oklahoma
.
were not in favor of his plans. The Oklahoma Legislature
was more focused on reducing the state’s massive deficit (roughly a quarter of billion dollars in modern currency). Marland, an avid supporter of FDR, stressed the need for the state government to work with the federal government.
Despite Governor Marland’s efforts, most Oklahoman politicians never fully embraced the New Deal. What the Legislature would accept was a homestead exemption
provision to the state’s ad valorem tax
es, increased school funds, and raised the state sales tax
to two percent. Marland introduced legislation that appropriated funds raised by the sales tax to go towards the handicapped, the elderly, and dependent children.
At this time, Oklahoma had over 150,000 heads of families that were unemployed and 80,000 heads of families on relief. To help counter this, Marland asked the Fifteenth Legislature for a board to craft policy to develop the physical aspects of the state and to create a more diverse economy. The Legislature responded with the fifteen member State Planning and Resources Board. The Board worked with FDR’s Works Progress Administration
to create jobs through such things as dam building and tree planting. Even the State Highway Department expanded its road work to create thousands of jobs.
Though he did not balance the state’s budget, Marland did create both the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
and the Interstate Oil Compact. Through the Compact, six oil producing states agreed to practice oil conservation and establish a fair price for petroleum. The governing body of the Compact was a commission, of which Marland was elected to serve as the first president.
Marland’s term as Governor ended on January 9, 1939. During his term, Marland created jobs for over 90,000 Oklahomans in over 1,300 WPA projects. He would return to Ponca City where he tried to recreate the Marland Oil Company . Marland’s last event in his political career came when he unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives
in 1940.
Marland died of a heart condition on October 3, 1941 at the age of 67. He is buried in Ponca City.
, which union lasted until his death on October 3, 1941.
, was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1977.
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
, and politician who served as the tenth Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
.
Career as an Oilman
Ernest Whitworth Marland was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 8, 1874. Marland studied to be an attorney, receiving his LL.B. from the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Law School
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at the age of nineteen in 1893. Marland would move back to Pittsburgh and would step up private practice. Through his experiences as an attorney, Marland became interested in geology and entered the oil industry. At the age of 33, Marland had become a self made millionaire.
Unfortunately for Marland, the millions he had amassed were lost following the panic of 1907
Panic of 1907
The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic, was a financial crisis that occurred in the United States when the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from its peak the previous year. Panic occurred, as this was during a time of economic recession, and there were numerous runs on...
. By 1908, Marland was broke and without a job. Hoping to start his life over again, Marland moved to the new state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Once in Oklahoma, Marland settled in Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
and resumed his oil career founding the 101 Ranch Oil Company
101 Ranch Oil Company
Founded in 1908 by oil exploration pioneer E. W. Marland, The 101 Ranch Oil Company was located on the famous Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and headquartered in Ponca City, Oklahoma...
. Marland was successful in reestablishing his fortune, and by 1920, his fortune was estimated at $85,000,000 (roughly $910,000,000 in modern dollars).
In 1920, Marland founded the Marland Oil Company
Marland Oil Company
Marland Oil Company was an American oil company founded in 1917, by Ponca City, Oklahoma oil exploration pioneer E. W. Marland when he assembled his various holdings including the 101 Ranch Oil Company into one unit, forming Marland Oil Company...
in Ponca City, (which was incorporated in Delaware on October 8, 1920) and would serve as its president. Later, the Marland Oil Company would merge with Continental Oil and Transportation Company (CONOCO)
Conoco Inc.
Conoco Inc. was an American oil company founded in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company. It is now a brand of gasoline and service station in the United States which belongs to the ConocoPhillips Company...
. Misfortune would strike Marland again. Due to his company’s association with J.P. Morgan, Marland’s oil empire would be destroyed and Marland would lose all of his wealth for the second time in his life.
The Pioneer Woman Statue
Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson was an American sculptor of Russian-Jewish descent. Although he specialized in realistic, intense portrait busts, Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them...
make a statue to the vanishing American, a Ponca, Otoe, or an Osage – a monument of great size?" Marland answered "the Indian is not the vanishing American – it's the pioneer woman."
Marland commissioned twelve miniature 3 foot (0.9144 m) sculptures that were submitted by US and international sculptors as models for the Pioneer Woman statue. The commission that Marland paid each sculptor has been variously cited as $10,000 and as $2,000 for each submission. The miniatures traveled to twelve cities where they were viewed by 750,000 people who cast votes for their favorite.
The twelve submissions included "Protective" by John Gregory
John Gregory (sculptor)
-Life:When he was about 12 years old his family immigrated to the United States where he began is sculptural studies at the Art Students League in New York City. He continued these at both the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and at the American Academy in Rome. At various times he studied with J...
; "Determined" by Maurice Sterne
Maurice Sterne
Maurice Sterne was an American sculptor and painter remembered today for his association with philanthropist Mabel Dodge Luhan, to whom he was married from 1916 to 1923. He began his career as a draftsman and painter, and critics noted the similarity of his work, in its volume and weight, to...
; "Challenging" by Hermon Atkins MacNeil
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
Hermon Atkins MacNeil was an American sculptor born in Chelsea, Massachusetts.He was an instructor in industrial art at Cornell University from 1886 to 1889, and was then a pupil of Henri M. Chapu and Alexandre Falguière in Paris...
; "Affectionate" by James E. Fraser
James E. Fraser
James Earle Fraser is a Canadian historian and Picticist. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto, and did masters work at the University of Guelph...
; "Self-Reliant" by Alexander Stirling Calder
Alexander Stirling Calder
Alexander Stirling Calder was an American sculptor and teacher; son of the sculptor Alexander Milne Calder, and father of the sculptor Alexander Calder...
; "Fearless" by Wheeler Williams
Wheeler Williams
Wheeler Williams was an American sculptor, born in Chicago, Illinois.-Life and career:Williams studied sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He attended Yale where he graduated Magna cum Laude in 1919. He received a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1922...
; "Heroic" by Mario Korbel
Mario Korbel
Mario Joseph Korbel, American sculptor born in Osik, Bohemia on March 22, 1882 to a clergyman, Joseph Korbel and his wife Katherina Dolezal Korbel. He began studying sculpture in his homeland, continuing his studies after moving to the United States at age 18...
; "Adventurous" by F. Lynn Jenkins; "Sturdy" by Mahonri Young
Mahonri Young
Mahonri Macintosh Young was an American sculptor and artist. Although he lived most of his life in New York City, Young is most remembered in Utah as being the grandson of Brigham Young, and who sculpted the This Is The Place Monument and the Seagull Monument in Salt Lake City...
and "Faithful" by Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee may refer to:*Arthur Lee , U.S. envoy to France*Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham , British soldier and diplomat*Arthur Lee , American psychedelic-rock musician...
; "Trusting" by Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson was an American sculptor of Russian-Jewish descent. Although he specialized in realistic, intense portrait busts, Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them...
; and "Confident" by Bryant Baker
Bryant Baker
Percy Bryant Baker was a British-born American sculptor.-Life and career:Baker was born on 8 July 1881 in London, England, the son and grandson of sculptors and stone carvers and the brother of sculptor Robert Baker...
. The New York Times reported on March 27, 1927 that the exhibition had arrived in New York City and that it had attracted "more interest than any exhibition of sculpture New York has known in a long while." The twelve models were exhibited for three weeks in the Reinhardt Galleries and Bryant Baker's model was the winner of the first place in the New York balloting. The Times Reported that "Baker not only won first honors, but was the last man to enter the contest having no more than a month to prepare his model and obtain a casting." Marland pronounced himself pleased with the models. "I believe all of the sculptors have done well," said Marland. "We could select any one of the twelve figures and get an excellent interpretation of the frontier woman. the decision will be a hard one to make. I expect to be guided largely by public taste, but the final decision will be my own. This national vote is going to show exactly what the American people think about one of the greatest of their women," Marland added.
The exhibition touched a popular chord in American culture of the time. The New York Times reported on March 27, 1927 that among those who visited the exhibition at the Reinhardt Galleries was 91 year old Betty Wollman who as a young bride had journeyed from St. Louis to Leavenworth, Kansas in 1855 and had once entertained Abraham Lincoln as a dinner guest in the Wollman household in Leavenworth long before Lincoln was a candidate for President. Wollman spoke about women's role during pioneer days in the old west and congratulated Marland for his proposal to erect a statue to the Pioneer Woman. "Mr. Marland is to be congratulated for doing this in commemoration of these early women of the West," said Wollman. "The hardships were many, and the courage and self-denial of the women who worked side by side with their husbands and sons and brothers in those primitive days are largely responsible for the development of the Middle Western States, now so rich in everything that goes to make life worth living."
The winning statue nationwide was "Confident," produced by British-born American sculptor Bryant Baker
Bryant Baker
Percy Bryant Baker was a British-born American sculptor.-Life and career:Baker was born on 8 July 1881 in London, England, the son and grandson of sculptors and stone carvers and the brother of sculptor Robert Baker...
. It is believed that Marland's personal favorite was "Trusting" by Jo Davidson who had also sculpted statues of Marland, his stepdaughter (later his wife) Lydie
Lydie Marland
Lydie Marland , American socialite, was born Lyde Miller Roberts in Flourtown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the second child to George Frederick Roberts and Margaret Reynolds Roberts and granddaughter of George W. Roberts and Mary B. Roberts and Samuel Cavin Collins, Sr. and Lydie "Eliza" ...
, and her brother George.
Baker's sculpture was unveiled in Ponca City in a public ceremony on April 22, 1930 when forty thousand guests came to hear Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
pay tribute to Oklahoma's pioneers. President Hoover addressed the nation over a nation-wide radio network for the commemoration of the statue. "It was those women who carried the refinement, the moral character and spiritual force into the West," said Hoover. "Not only they bore great burdens of daily toil and the rearing of families, but there were intent that their children should have a chance, that the doors of opportunity," added Hoover. The finished statue of the Pioneer Woman Statue was 27 feet (8.2 m) high and weighed 12,000 pounds.
Election to Congress
Despite his big business background, Marland was not a Republican. Marland’s misfortune with Morgan and other eastern monopoly giants gave him a distrust of them, leading him to register as a Democrat. Marland supported Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
programs from the beginning of FDR’s presidency
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Through his association with FDR, Marland was elected to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to represent Oklahoma’s 8th Congressional District
United States Congressional Delegations from Oklahoma
These are tables of congressional delegations from Oklahoma to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Passages:-1889 - 1907: One non-voting delegate:-1907 - 1913: Five seats:...
in 1932. Marland would be the first Democrat to hold that seat in 15 years.
Marland would only serve in Congress for a single term, from 1933 to 1935. Marland declined reelection after he placed his name in the Democratic primaries to succeed Governor William H. Murray
William H. Murray
William Henry Davis "Alfalfa Bill" Murray was an American teacher, lawyer, and politician who became active in Oklahoma before statehood as legal adviser to Governor Douglas H. Johnston of the Chickasaw Nation...
. Marland won both the Democratic nomination and the election in November to serve as the tenth Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
.
Governor of Oklahoma
On January 15, 1935, Marland was inaugurated as Governor. Immediately, Marland instituted a policy that would become known as the “Little New Deal.” From the start, the Oklahoma House and Oklahoma SenateOklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
were not in favor of his plans. The Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
was more focused on reducing the state’s massive deficit (roughly a quarter of billion dollars in modern currency). Marland, an avid supporter of FDR, stressed the need for the state government to work with the federal government.
Despite Governor Marland’s efforts, most Oklahoman politicians never fully embraced the New Deal. What the Legislature would accept was a homestead exemption
Homestead exemption
Homestead exemption is a legal regime designed to protect the value of the homes of residents from property taxes, creditors, and circumstances arising from the death of the homeowner spouse...
provision to the state’s ad valorem tax
Ad valorem tax
An ad valorem tax is a tax based on the value of real estate or personal property. It is more common than a specific duty, a tax based on the quantity of an item, such as cents per kilogram, regardless of price....
es, increased school funds, and raised the state sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
to two percent. Marland introduced legislation that appropriated funds raised by the sales tax to go towards the handicapped, the elderly, and dependent children.
At this time, Oklahoma had over 150,000 heads of families that were unemployed and 80,000 heads of families on relief. To help counter this, Marland asked the Fifteenth Legislature for a board to craft policy to develop the physical aspects of the state and to create a more diverse economy. The Legislature responded with the fifteen member State Planning and Resources Board. The Board worked with FDR’s Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
to create jobs through such things as dam building and tree planting. Even the State Highway Department expanded its road work to create thousands of jobs.
Though he did not balance the state’s budget, Marland did create both the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is a major state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. It is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol was legislatively created in 1937 due to the growing problem of motor vehicle accidents, the expansion of a...
and the Interstate Oil Compact. Through the Compact, six oil producing states agreed to practice oil conservation and establish a fair price for petroleum. The governing body of the Compact was a commission, of which Marland was elected to serve as the first president.
Marland’s term as Governor ended on January 9, 1939. During his term, Marland created jobs for over 90,000 Oklahomans in over 1,300 WPA projects. He would return to Ponca City where he tried to recreate the Marland Oil Company . Marland’s last event in his political career came when he unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1940.
Marland died of a heart condition on October 3, 1941 at the age of 67. He is buried in Ponca City.
Personal life
Marland was married twice. His first marriage was on November 5, 1903 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to Mary Virginia (Collins) Marland, which union lasted until her death on June 6, 1926, in Ponca City, Kay County, Oklahoma. Two years later, on July 14, 1928, he married, also in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lydie (Roberts) MarlandLydie Marland
Lydie Marland , American socialite, was born Lyde Miller Roberts in Flourtown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the second child to George Frederick Roberts and Margaret Reynolds Roberts and granddaughter of George W. Roberts and Mary B. Roberts and Samuel Cavin Collins, Sr. and Lydie "Eliza" ...
, which union lasted until his death on October 3, 1941.
Commemoration
His home in Ponca City, the E. W. Marland MansionE. W. Marland Mansion
E. W. Marland Mansion, or Ernest Whitworth Marland Mansion or Marland Estate, in Ponca City, Oklahoma is a Mediterranean Revival style mansion significant for its architecture. The home was built by Oklahoma governor and oilman E. W...
, was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1977.
State of the State Speeches
- First State of the State Speech
- Second State of the State Speech
- Third State of the State Speech
- Fourth State of the State Speech