John Montgomery Dalton (November 9, 1900 – July 7, 1972) was a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 politician from the state of Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. He was the 45th Governor of Missouri and the states' 34th Attorney General.

Personal history

Dalton was born in rural Vernon County, Missouri in 1900 to parents Frederick Alfred and Ida Jane (Dunlap)(Poage) Dalton. He had three brothers and two sisters. One brother, Sidna P. Dalton, would serve as Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. John Dalton received his secondary education at Columbia High School in Columbia, Missouri

Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...

, and then attended the University of Missouri

University of Missouri

The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

 where he earned a law degree in 1923. After passing the Missouri Bar he returned to southern Missouri, establishing a law practice in Kennett

Kennett, Missouri

Kennett is a city in Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2000 census, but a 2008 estimate indicates a 4.9% decrease in population to 10,707. Kennett is the county seat of Dunklin County...

, where he also served as city attorney from 1944 to 1953. John Dalton and his wife Geraldine were the parents of two children. Dalton died July 7, 1972 in Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...

 and is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Kennett.

Political history

John Dalton first entered statewide politics in 1952, running for and winning the first of two consecutive terms as Missouri Attorney General

Missouri Attorney General

The Office of the Missouri Attorney General was created in 1806 when Missouri was part of the Louisiana Territory. Missouri's first Constitution in 1820 provided for an appointed Attorney General, but since the 1865 Constitution, the Attorney General has been elected...

. In November 1960 Dalton won election to be Missouri's 45th Governor, his term running from January 9, 1961 to January 11, 1965.

Gubenatorial highlights: Governor Dalton signed legislation requiring all passenger vehicles in Missouri to have seat belts, and established a drivers license points system for traffic violations. Other actions including securing funding for a new headquarters for the Missouri Highway Patrol, creation of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Ozark National Scenic Riverways

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is a national park in the Ozarks of southern Missouri in the U.S..The park was created by an Act of Congress in 1964 to protect the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, and it was formally dedicated in 1971. The park's are used for many forms of recreation and are...

, and furthering desegregation of Missouri schools.

Honors

• The Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Missouri is named for the late Governor.
• A portion of U.S. Highway 412 in Dunklin County
  Dunklin County, Missouri
  Dunklin County is a county located in the Bootheel of Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 33,155. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 31,454. The largest city and county seat is Kennett...
  
  bears the name "Governor John M. Dalton Memorial Highway."