John M. Slaton
| John M. Slaton | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 60th Governor of Georgia | |
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In office June 28, 1913 – June 26, 1915 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph M. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel E. Harris |
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In office November 16, 1911 – January 25, 1912 |
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| Preceded by | M. Hoke Smith |
| Succeeded by | Joseph M. Brown |
| Member of the Georgia Senate | |
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In office 1909-1913 |
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| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
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In office 1896-1909 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Marshall Slaton December 25, 1866 Meriwether County, Georgia |
| Died | January 11, 1955 (aged 88) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
John Marshall "Jack" Slaton (December 25, 1866 – January 11, 1955) served two non-consecutive terms as the 60th Governor of Georgia. His political career was ended in 1915 after he commuted the death penalty sentence of Atlanta factory boss Leo Frank, who had been convicted for the murder of a teenage girl employee. Because of Slaton's law firm partnership with Frank’s defense counsel, claims were made that Slaton's involvement raised a conflict of interest. Soon after Slaton's action, Frank was lynched. After Slaton's term as governor ended, he and his wife left the state for a decade. Slaton later served as president of the Georgia State Bar Association.
Slaton was born in Meriwether County, Georgia.
Slaton received a master of arts degree with highest honors from the University of Georgia in 1886 where he joined Chi Phi Fraternity and the Phi Kappa Literary Society. Slaton married Sarah Frances Grant in 1898.
Slaton's additional political service includes:
After Governor Hoke Smith was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1911, Slaton was appointed acting governor and served in that capacity from 1911 to 1912. Slaton was later elected to the governorship for a non-consecutive second term (1913 to 1915).
In 1915, Slaton commuted the sentence for Leo Frank from death to life imprisonment. "I can endure misconstruction, abuse and condemnation," Slaton said, "but I cannot stand the constant companionship of an accusing conscience which would remind me that I, as governor of Georgia, failed to do what I thought to be right.... It means that I must live in obscurity the rest of my days, but I would rather be plowing in a field than to feel that I had that blood on my hands."
Because of the almost universal hostility towards Leo Frank by the general public in Georgia, Governor Slaton's decision to commute his death sentence was widely viewed as interference. Public disapproval of Slaton persisted for a long time afterwards. Sparing Frank's life had the effect of permanently ending Slaton's political career, just as Slaton himself had predicted.
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Wikipedia