page_title: E. W. Marland
section_title: Governor of Oklahoma
hierarchical_section_title: E. W. Marland / Career / Governor of Oklahoma
caption_attribution_description: English: photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran - statue of E. W. Marland by Jo Davidson in Ponca City Oklahoma created circa 1928. Carptrash 20:00, 18 December 2005 (UTC)
context_page_description: Ernest Whitworth Marland, known as E. W. Marland, was an American lawyer, oil businessman in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, and politician who was a U.S. Congressman and Oklahoma governor. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from northern Oklahoma in 1932 and as the tenth Governor of Oklahoma in 1934. As a Democrat, he initiated a "Little Deal" in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, working to relieve the distress of unemployed people in the state, and to build infrastructure as investment for the future.
  Marland made fortunes in oil in Pennsylvania in the 1900s and in Oklahoma in the 1920s, and lost each in the volatility of the industry and the times. At the height of his wealth in the 1920s, Marland built a mansion known as the Palace of the Prairies in Ponca City, after introducing fox hunts and polo games to the local elite society. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The Marland-Paris Mansion, his former home on Grand Avenue, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  Marland and his first wife Virginia did not have any children.
context_section_description: On January 15, 1935, Marland was inaugurated as Governor. Several years before, the widower had married Lydie Roberts Marland, his former adopted daughter. She was then 28 and he was 54. She became First Lady of the state.
  Marland quickly instituted a program that would become known as the "Little New Deal." From the start, the Oklahoma House and Oklahoma Senate were not in favor of his plans. The legislature was more concerned with 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 in creating jobs and support for families.
  Despite 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 taxes, increased school funds, and raising the state sales tax to two percent. Marland introduced legislation to appropriate funds raised by the sales tax for aid to the handicapped, the elderly, and dependent children.
  At this time, Oklahoma had an estimated 150,000 Oklahomans that were unemployed and 700,000 on relief. Marland asked the Fifteenth Legislature for a board to craft policy to develop the physical infrastructure of the state with investments to create a more diverse economy. The Legislature responded with the 15-member State Planning and Resources Board. The Board worked with FDR's Works Progress Administration to create jobs through public works projects such as construction of dams and tree planting. The State Highway Department expanded its road work and created thousands of jobs. Historic properties and renovated, archeological excavations were undertaken to identify and preserve resources, and other resources were enhanced.
  Though he did not balance the state's budget, Marland created 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. Through more than 1,300 WPA projects, he had created jobs for more than 90,000 Oklahomans. After his term, he returned to Ponca City and tried to recreate the Marland Oil Company.
  In 1940, Marland ran for the United States House of Representatives again but was unsuccessful against a Republican candidate.
caption: E. W. Marland by Jo Davidson, 1928, Ponca City, Oklahoma
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2005:12:18 12:55:53", "Image ExifOffset": "164", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "302", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5573", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1031", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1604"}