Governor Ebenezer Sumner Draper

EBENEZER S. DRAPER, the forty-sixth governor of Massachusetts, was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts on June 17, 1858. His early education was attained at the Allen School in West Newton, and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1878. Before he entered into politics, Draper worked in the family’s successful manufacturing business, the George Draper and Sons Company, which at the time was the largest textile equipment manufacturer in the U.S. In 1892, Draper served as a member of the Republican State Committee, and in 1896 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention. He also served as a Republican presidential elector in 1900, and was the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1906 to 1908. Draper next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and went on to win election to the governorship on November 3, 1908. He was reelected to a second term in 1909. During his tenure, harbor developments were promoted, as well as forest conservation. Also, a bill that limited public workers to an eight-hour day was vetoed. After running unsuccessfully for a third term, Draper left office on January 5, 1911, and retired from political life. He returned to his business interests and philanthropic affairs. Governor Ebenezer S. Draper passed away on April 9, 1914 in Greenville, South Carolina.