Martin E. Trapp
Encyclopedia
Martin Edwin Trapp was an American politician who served as the first Oklahoma State Auditor under Governor Charles N. Haskell
. Later, Trapp served as the third Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
from 1915 to 1923. When Governor John C. Walton
was removed from office, Trapp succeeded Walton as the sixth Governor of Oklahoma
.
on April 18, 1877. Martin would spend the first twelve years of his life in Kansas until 1889. Following the Land Run of 1889
, Trapp’s father moved his entire family to Logan County
to a claim just seven miles west of Guthrie
. Trapp would not attend public school as Oklahoma Territory
possessed none. Instead, he was educated almost entirely by association and study with a neighbor named Mr. McDaniel. Trapp would work hard to gain his education, working at local newspaper while doing so. In pursuit of his education, Trapp would, at age 21, become a certified teacher. Trapp would even serve some time as traveling salesman.
Trapp would begin his political career in 1904 when he ran on the Democratic ticket for the Logan County County Clerk, an office he would be hold from 1905 to 1907. During 1907, Oklahoma Territory would be forever changed. On November 16, 1907 Oklahoma Territory officially became the US state of Oklahoma
. Trapp would leave County government behind him and would run for, and be elected, Oklahoma’s first State Auditor
. Trapp would serve under Charles N. Haskell
, the first Governor of Oklahoma
, from 1907 to 1911. After his term as State Auditor, Trapp would move to Muskogee, Oklahoma
where he would set up a bond business
.
Trapp would make a return to Oklahoma politics in 1914 when the Democrats nominated him to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
. Replacing outgoing Lieutenant Governor John A Greer, Trapp would be elected to his new office for three consecutive terms, in 1914, 1918, and for an unprecedented third term in 1922. As the Lieutenant Governor, Trapp would serve under Governors Robert L. Williams
, James B. A. Robertson
, and John C. Walton
. Trapp would only serve for the first 11 months of his third term. On October 23, following impeachment
charges against Governor Walton, Trapp became the acting Governor. Walton was found guilty by the Oklahoma Senate
in its role as the Court of Impeachment on November 19, 1923. Following the Oklahoma Constitution
, Trapp immediately left the office of Lieutenant Governor to be inaugurated as the sixth Governor of Oklahoma
.
into special session to address the issue. An investigation of many state offices, commissions, and departments soon followed. In true conservative form, Trapp removed many state organizations that where, in his opinion, of little use to Oklahoma and provided much needed reorganization of the inflated state government.
Trapp succeeded in having the Legislature repel over $10,000,000 in expenditures that Walton had set up, thus restoring the State’s credit. Unfortunately, this meant repelling the state’s new free text book program and a one third reduction in the funds spend on school aid. Through the use of a three cent gasoline tax, Trapp raised enough funds to finance Oklahoma’s first Highway Commission. This Commission oversaw Oklahoma’s much needed highway construction program.
Following a growth national trend started by US President
Theodore Roosevelt
back in 1907, Trapp began a program of economic conservatism. Trapp created the Oklahoma Forestry Commission, the Oklahoma Conservatism Commission, and the Oklahoma Fish and Game Commission out of his desire to preserve the environment. Trapp expanded the term lengths of all county offices from two years to four, enacted a state drainage law
to protect the state from floods, and raised the cost of licenses in the state.
Trapp also proved to be an effective law enforcement officer. For the first time in the state’s history, a State Bureau of Criminal Investigation
was established in 1925 from pressure from Trapp’s administration. Trapp asked the Legislature for harsher punishment and stricter enforcement of prohibition, which he received. Trapp also tackled the growing power of the Ku Klux Klan
by passing an anti-mask law which eventually reduced the group’s power.
.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court
investigated the issue. On June 6, 1926, the Court ruled on the case Fitzpatrick v. McAlister, which stated that Trapp was "the Governor for the simple reason that he governs. He governs officially for the reason that section 16 expressly vests him with authority to do so. Therefore he is the official Governor, and, being the official Governor, he is rendered ineligible to succeed himself by the inhibition contained in section 4, art. 6, of the Constitution.” Thus, Trapp was ineligible to run for reelection.
Trapp officially ended his term in office on January 10, 1927 with the inauguration of Henry S. Johnston
as the seventh Governor of Oklahoma
.
. Moving back to Oklahoma City, Trapp would spend the rest of his life as a dealer of investment securities. Trapp would die on July 26, 1951 in Oklahoma City at the age of 74. He would be buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City.
Trapp was responsible for many positive programs in Oklahoma’s history. With the establishment of the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Oklahoma’s law enforcement agencies gained an invaluable ally in law enforcement. Conservatism was brought to Oklahoma for the first time under Trapp’s administration, with much of Oklahoma’s environment being preserved for later generations. Even racial issue such as the KKK where dealt with under Trapp. However, the thing that Trapp is most remembered for is being the first Lieutenant Governor to ascend to the Governorship following the impeachment of removal from office of John C. Walton
.
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
. Later, Trapp served as the third Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the new Governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resignation, or removal of the Governor...
from 1915 to 1923. When Governor John C. Walton
John C. Walton
John Calloway “Jack” Walton was an American politician and the fifth Governor of Oklahoma. Walton would serve the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state’s history to be removed from office.-Early life:John Calloway Walton was born on March 6, 1881, in...
was removed from office, Trapp succeeded Walton as the sixth 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...
.
Early life
Martin Edwin Trapp was born in Robinson, KansasRobinson, Kansas
Robinson is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 216 at the 2000 census. Robinson was named to honor the first governor of the State of Kansas, Charles Robinson...
on April 18, 1877. Martin would spend the first twelve years of his life in Kansas until 1889. Following the Land Run of 1889
Land Run of 1889
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands and included all or part of the 2005 modern day Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne counties of the U.S. state of Oklahoma...
, Trapp’s father moved his entire family to Logan County
Logan County, Oklahoma
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2009 was 39,301. Its county seat is Guthrie. Logan County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
to a claim just seven miles west of Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
. Trapp would not attend public school as Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
possessed none. Instead, he was educated almost entirely by association and study with a neighbor named Mr. McDaniel. Trapp would work hard to gain his education, working at local newspaper while doing so. In pursuit of his education, Trapp would, at age 21, become a certified teacher. Trapp would even serve some time as traveling salesman.
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...
. Trapp would leave County government behind him and would run for, and be elected, Oklahoma’s first State Auditor
Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector
The Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector is the chief financial officer for the U.S. State of Oklahoma. The State Auditor and Inspector is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the financial accounts of all government agencies within Oklahoma....
. Trapp would serve under Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
, the first 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...
, from 1907 to 1911. After his term as State Auditor, Trapp would move to Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
where he would set up a bond business
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
.
Trapp would make a return to Oklahoma politics in 1914 when the Democrats nominated him to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the new Governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resignation, or removal of the Governor...
. Replacing outgoing Lieutenant Governor John A Greer, Trapp would be elected to his new office for three consecutive terms, in 1914, 1918, and for an unprecedented third term in 1922. As the Lieutenant Governor, Trapp would serve under Governors Robert L. Williams
Robert L. Williams
Robert Lee Williams was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the third Governor of Oklahoma. Williams would also play a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution...
, James B. A. Robertson
James B. A. Robertson
James Brooks Ayers Robertson , sometimes called J. B. A. Robertson, was an American lawyer who served as the fourth governor of Oklahoma.-Early life:...
, and John C. Walton
John C. Walton
John Calloway “Jack” Walton was an American politician and the fifth Governor of Oklahoma. Walton would serve the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state’s history to be removed from office.-Early life:John Calloway Walton was born on March 6, 1881, in...
. Trapp would only serve for the first 11 months of his third term. On October 23, following impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
charges against Governor Walton, Trapp became the acting Governor. Walton was found guilty by the Oklahoma Senate
Oklahoma 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....
in its role as the Court of Impeachment on November 19, 1923. Following the Oklahoma Constitution
Oklahoma Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the U.S. State of Oklahoma. Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th US State. At its ratification, the Oklahoma Constitution was the longest governing document of any...
, Trapp immediately left the office of Lieutenant Governor to be inaugurated as the sixth 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
Becoming the first Lieutenant Governor to assume the office of Governor in the State’s history, Trapp was Walton’s opposite. Whereas Walton had been progressive and aggressive, Trapp was quiet and conservative. Top on the new Governor’s to-do list was trimming the state’s budge to provide for a more efficient state government. Immediately upon coming into office, Trapp called the Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma 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...
into special session to address the issue. An investigation of many state offices, commissions, and departments soon followed. In true conservative form, Trapp removed many state organizations that where, in his opinion, of little use to Oklahoma and provided much needed reorganization of the inflated state government.
Trapp succeeded in having the Legislature repel over $10,000,000 in expenditures that Walton had set up, thus restoring the State’s credit. Unfortunately, this meant repelling the state’s new free text book program and a one third reduction in the funds spend on school aid. Through the use of a three cent gasoline tax, Trapp raised enough funds to finance Oklahoma’s first Highway Commission. This Commission oversaw Oklahoma’s much needed highway construction program.
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....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
back in 1907, Trapp began a program of economic conservatism. Trapp created the Oklahoma Forestry Commission, the Oklahoma Conservatism Commission, and the Oklahoma Fish and Game Commission out of his desire to preserve the environment. Trapp expanded the term lengths of all county offices from two years to four, enacted a state drainage law
Drainage law
Drainage law is a specific area of water law related to drainage of surface water on real property. It is of great importance in areas where freshwater is scarce, where flooding is common, or where water is in high demand for agricultural or commercial purposes.-Drainage law in the United...
to protect the state from floods, and raised the cost of licenses in the state.
Trapp also proved to be an effective law enforcement officer. For the first time in the state’s history, a State Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is an independent state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. The OSBI assists the city police departments of the state and is the primary investigative agency of the state government...
was established in 1925 from pressure from Trapp’s administration. Trapp asked the Legislature for harsher punishment and stricter enforcement of prohibition, which he received. Trapp also tackled the growing power of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
by passing an anti-mask law which eventually reduced the group’s power.
Reelection Issue
Throughout his term, Trapp had viewed his position as “acting Governor”, and not the actual Governor. Throughout his term, Trapp had proved a capable administrator and had become widely popular, with many agreeing that Trapp should seek retention in office. This proved to be a problem for Trapp when he desired to seek reelection in the fall of 1926. State law had forbidden the Governor from succeeding himself, and thus Trapp was ineligible for reelection. Trapp insisted that the law did not apply to him since he had been elected Lieutenant Governor and succeeded to the Governorship only upon the impeachment and removal from office of John C. WaltonJohn C. Walton
John Calloway “Jack” Walton was an American politician and the fifth Governor of Oklahoma. Walton would serve the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state’s history to be removed from office.-Early life:John Calloway Walton was born on March 6, 1881, in...
.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
investigated the issue. On June 6, 1926, the Court ruled on the case Fitzpatrick v. McAlister, which stated that Trapp was "the Governor for the simple reason that he governs. He governs officially for the reason that section 16 expressly vests him with authority to do so. Therefore he is the official Governor, and, being the official Governor, he is rendered ineligible to succeed himself by the inhibition contained in section 4, art. 6, of the Constitution.” Thus, Trapp was ineligible to run for reelection.
Trapp officially ended his term in office on January 10, 1927 with the inauguration of Henry S. Johnston
Henry S. Johnston
Henry Simpson Johnston was an American lawyer and politician who served as a delegate to the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention, the first President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, and the seventh Governor of Oklahoma...
as the seventh 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...
.
Death and legacy
After leaving the Governorship, Trapp would continue to play a key role in the Democratic Party in Oklahoma despite the fact that he would never hold another political office. Trapp would once again seek election to the Governor’s office in 1930, but he would not receive the Party’s nomination, losing it to the colorful and popular William H. MurrayWilliam 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...
. Moving back to Oklahoma City, Trapp would spend the rest of his life as a dealer of investment securities. Trapp would die on July 26, 1951 in Oklahoma City at the age of 74. He would be buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City.
Trapp was responsible for many positive programs in Oklahoma’s history. With the establishment of the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Oklahoma’s law enforcement agencies gained an invaluable ally in law enforcement. Conservatism was brought to Oklahoma for the first time under Trapp’s administration, with much of Oklahoma’s environment being preserved for later generations. Even racial issue such as the KKK where dealt with under Trapp. However, the thing that Trapp is most remembered for is being the first Lieutenant Governor to ascend to the Governorship following the impeachment of removal from office of John C. Walton
John C. Walton
John Calloway “Jack” Walton was an American politician and the fifth Governor of Oklahoma. Walton would serve the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state’s history to be removed from office.-Early life:John Calloway Walton was born on March 6, 1881, in...
.