The governor who walked to his own assassination at Kentucky’s capitol in 1900

William Goebel’s Fatal Walk to Kentucky’s Old Capitol

Kentucky’s Old State Capitol holds a dark first in American history.

In 1898, Democratic Senator William Goebel pushed through a law letting his party control election disputes. When he lost the 1899 governor’s race by just 2,383 votes, he used his own law to contest the results.

Soon after, armed Republican supporters flooded Frankfort while Democrats plotted to overturn the election. On January 30, 1900, despite death threats, Goebel walked toward the Capitol with two bodyguards.

Shots rang out. Hit in the chest, he was sworn in on his deathbed, served three days, then died.

The assassination spot outside the Old State Capitol is marked today by a simple plaque that tells this explosive story.

Goebel Created His Own Election Law That Would Later Backfire

In February 1898, Democratic State Senator William Goebel pushed through a law that put elections under his party’s control. The bill set up a three-member election board picked by the Democratic-run General Assembly.

These folks got to choose county election officials and made the final call on any disputed races. Many voters saw this power grab for what it was.

Even fellow Democrats spoke out against it. The board lasted until 1900, causing problems for everyone except the Democrats who ran it.

Republicans Squeezed Out A Narrow Win That Democrats Couldn’t Accept

The 1899 governor’s race got nasty. When votes were counted, Republican William S. Taylor beat Goebel by just 2,383 votes out of nearly 400,000. A third candidate named Brown got over 12,000 votes, more than the gap between the top two.

With such a slim margin, Democrats quickly claimed cheating. Taylor went ahead with his swearing-in on December 12, 1899.

The close result split Kentucky, with Republicans celebrating while Democrats planned to challenge the outcome using Goebel’s own election law.

The Election Board Shocked Everyone By Following The Rules

No one expected this twist: the election board Goebel himself created refused to overturn the results. On December 9, the three Democrats on the board voted 2-1 to confirm Taylor’s win.

They said the Goebel Election Law didn’t actually give them power to throw out county results or look into cheating claims.

Instead, they passed the problem to the General Assembly, saying the state constitution made the legislature the final judge of election fights.

Armed Men From Coal Country Flooded The Capital

As the election fight grew hotter, men with guns started showing up in Frankfort. Small groups of armed supporters from Republican eastern Kentucky coal areas came first.

By mid-January 1900, over 1,500 armed men took over the Capitol grounds.

Kentucky’s Secretary of State Caleb Powers made things worse by bringing in between 500 and 1000 gun-carrying mountain men from his home district.

He told them they needed to “protect” the capital from Goebel the “usurper.”

Democrats Stacked The Deck With A Friendly Investigation Committee

Party leaders met on December 14 and pushed Goebel to fight the results.

When the legislature started its new session on January 2, Goebel claimed votes from 50 counties had problems. The General Assembly picked 11 lawmakers through a supposedly random drawing to review his claims.

They ended up with nine Democrats, one pro-Democrat Populist, and just one Republican. People across Kentucky knew the committee would likely throw out enough Taylor votes to make Goebel governor.

Hotel Shootout Added Fuel To The Political Fire

The tension in Frankfort boiled over on January 16, 1900, when gunfire broke out in the Capitol Hotel lobby.

Former Congressman Colonel David Colson and Lieutenant Ethelbert Scott, a young lawyer, settled an old Spanish-American War grudge with guns instead of words. The bloody fight left Scott dead along with five others.

The violence happened right during the election dispute, making everyone more nervous about what might happen next. Armed men walked the streets as both sides prepared for what looked like a coming battle.

A Morning Walk Turned Deadly For Goebel

Friends warned Goebel about death threats, but he stuck to his routine on January 30, 1900. With just two bodyguards, he walked toward the Old State Capitol to continue fighting for the governor’s office.

As he passed the State Building, five or six shots rang out. A rifle bullet hit Goebel in the chest, knocking him down.

Surveyors later figured out the shot likely came from Secretary of State Caleb Powers’ office window. The shooting happened in broad daylight outside the government building, with dozens of people watching.

Taylor Called Out The Militia And Tried To Move The Legislature

Governor Taylor acted fast after the shooting. He declared a state of emergency and called out the Kentucky militia to secure the capital.

He also ordered the General Assembly to meet in London, Kentucky, a Republican stronghold far from Frankfort. Republican lawmakers obeyed and headed to London.

Democrats refused to go, trying instead to meet in Frankfort. They found every public building blocked by armed citizens.

The state now had two competing governments claiming to be the real one.

Democrats Secretly Made Goebel Governor While He Was Dying

On January 31, just one day after being shot, Democrats held a secret meeting in a Frankfort hotel. With no Republicans there, they voted to throw out enough Taylor votes to make Goebel the winner.

That same evening, they swore in the badly wounded Goebel as governor while he lay dying in bed. In his only official act, Goebel signed an order to disband Taylor’s militia.

The Republican militia leader completely ignored the order.

Soon, a rival Democratic militia formed, and the two armed groups faced each other across the state capitol lawn.

Three Days As Governor Before Death Claimed Goebel

Despite having 18 doctors working to save him, Goebel died on February 3, 1900. He served just three days as governor, the shortest term in Kentucky history.

Newspapers reported his last words as “Tell my friends to be brave, fearless, and loyal to the common people. ” But reporter Irvin Cobb found witnesses who heard something different.

After eating his final meal, Goebel supposedly mumbled, “Doc, that was a damned bad oyster. ” His death made him the only sitting governor in American history to be killed while in office.

Justice Came Slowly And Incompletely For The Killers

Sixteen people faced charges for Goebel’s murder, including Governor Taylor, who fled to Indiana to avoid arrest. Secretary of State Caleb Powers got pegged as the mastermind.

State Auditor Henry Youtsey supposedly helped the shooter, while James B. Howard, a man with a violent past from Clay County, was charged as the actual gunman.

Powers went through three trials before his fourth ended with a pardon in 1908. Youtsey got life in prison and turned on his co-conspirators after two years behind bars.

He served 18 years while others walked free. Taylor received a pardon in 1909 but never returned to Kentucky.

Visiting Old State House, Kentucky

The Old State Capitol is temporarily closed for repairs, but you can learn about Governor William Goebel’s assassination at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History at 100 West Broadway.

They have Goebel’s blood-stained coat on display with discounted admission. The center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

Your ticket gets you into all three sites: the History Center, Old State Capitol when it reopens, and the Military History Museum.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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