John Millard Tawes (b. May 8, 1894 d. June 25, 1979), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 54^th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1959 to 1967. He remains the only Marylander to be elected to the three positions of State Treasurer, Comptroller, and Governor.

Personal Information

J. Millard Tawes was born in Crisfield, Maryland and received his early education in the Somerset County, Maryland Public Schools. After graduation, he attended a business college, majoring in banking and accounting, and earned a living working in lumbering and canning firms.

Tawes married Helen Avalynne Gibson on December 25, 1915 and had two children, Philip and Jimmie Lee.

Political Career

Tawes was elected to be the Maryland State Treasurer in 1938 and was re-elected in 1942. Under Tawes, the state budget of Maryland nearly quadrupled in just six years. He ran for governor of Maryland in 1946, but lost to challenger William Preston Lane, Jr.. He served as State Banking Commissioner from 1947 to 1950, at which time he was appointed to be the state Comptroller. He served in that position until 1958.

Tawes ran again for the gubernatorial office in 1958 and was elected successfully. As governor, Tawes was a champion of new industry and bringing jobs to Maryland. He worked towards prohibiting discrimination, creating government jobs and reforming the state education aid system. Tawes concluded his two term tenure as governor in 1967.

John Miller Tawes died on June 25, 1979, in his hometown of Crisfield.

Building dedications

• J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum in Crisfield, Maryland. [1] (http://www.crisfieldheritagefoundation.org/museums/historical.htm)
• Tawes Fine Arts Building at the University of Maryland, College Park. [2] (http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Facilities/Buildings/TWS)

Bibliography

J. Millard Tawes. December 09, 1998. Maryland State Archives. Oct 25, 2004. [3] (http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1259/121/7044/html/msa01485.html)

Note: Some information or images have been taken from a non-password protected section of the Maryland State Archives (http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us). This is copyrighted but may legally be reproduced as long as credit is given.