Governor Marcus Hensey Holcomb

MARCUS HENSEY HOLCOMB was born in New Hartford, Connecticut, on November 28, 1884. He attended New Hartford’s public school system, Wesleyan Seminary in Massachusetts, then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1871. Holcomb entered public service as judge of Southington’s probate court, a position he held from 1893 to 1910. He served as Hartford’s treasurer from 1893 to 1908, was a member of the Connecticut State Senate from 1893 to 1894, and was a delegate to the 1902 Constitutional Convention. Holcomb served as speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1905 to 1906, and was attorney general from 1906 to 1907. He also served on the bench of the Southington Borough Court from 1905 to 1909, and on the Connecticut Superior Court from 1906 to 1915. Holcomb won the 1914 Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected Connecticut’s 49th governor. He was reelected in 1916 and 1918. During his tenure, the state participated with the nation’s effort in preparing for the eventual war. A food supply council and a state council of defense were established. The state debt was reduced and a bill was enacted that regulated maximum working hours for women. Teacher retirement benefits, old-age annuities, and health insurance programs also were instituted. Holcomb left office on January 5, 1921, retiring from public service. Governor Marcus H. Holcomb died on March 5, 1932, and is buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Southington, Connecticut.