Walter M. Pierce

Walter M. Pierce
17th Governor of Oregon
In office
January 8, 1923 – January 10, 1927
Preceded byBen W. Olcott
Succeeded byI. L. Patterson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943
Preceded byRobert R. Butler
Succeeded byLowell Stockman
Member of the Oregon State Senate
In office
1917–1921
In office
1903–1907
Personal details
Born
Walter Marcus Pierce

(1861-05-30)May 30, 1861
Morris, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 27, 1954(1954-03-27) (aged 92)
Salem, Oregon, U.S.
Resting placeMount Crest Abbey Mausoleum
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Clara Rudio Pierce (died, 1890)
Laura Rudio Pierce (died, 1925)
Cornelia Marvin Pierce
Alma materNorthwestern University (LLB)
ProfessionLawyer

Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served as the 17th Governor of Oregon and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 2nd congressional district. A native of Illinois, he served in the Oregon State Senate before the governorship, and again after leaving the U.S. House. Pierce was an anti-Catholic supporter of compulsory public education and signed a law banning parochial schools, resulting in lawsuits and the United States Supreme Court case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters. He was also a eugenicist and supported Prohibition. He advocated unsuccessfully for a state income tax and vehicle license fee.