Governor Ashton Cockayne Shallenberger

ASHTON C. SHALLENBERGER, the sixteenth governor of Nebraska, was born in Toulon, Illinois, on December 23, 1862. His early education was attained in the Illinois public schools, and then at the University of Illinois at Urbana. After moving to Nebraska in 1881, he worked as a clerk, banker, and rancher. Shallenberger first entered politics as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a position he held from 1901 to 1903. He next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1908. During his tenure, a state bank guaranty fund bill was sanctioned; a daylight saloon law was enacted; a railroad property value act was authorized; and the Oregon plan was initiated that elected U.S. senators by a popular vote. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Shallenberger continued to stay active in politics. He won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1915 to 1919, 1923 to 1929 and 1931 to 1935. Governor Ashton C. Shallenberger passed away on February 22, 1938, and was buried in the Alma Cemetery in Alma, Nebraska.