The life and political career of J. Hoge Tyler, Governor of Virginia, 1898-1902

Today, outside the boundaries of Radford, Virginia, J. Hoge Tyler has been lost to history. His name is just another in a long list of Virginia governors. Since he was not a controversial figure, recognition of the man and knowledge of his accomplishments died with his generation. Tyler, therefore, becomes historically significant only as a prototype of his generation; and it is in light of this importance that this study has been undertaken. From an examination of Tyler's political career and his administration better understanding of Virginia politics during this period emerges.

Tyler's background and political and economic philosophy exemplified that of his southern contemporaries. Although he was not the old plantation type, his personality and character were in tune with the values and attitudes of the Old South. Tyler was the,last Confederate veteran to occupy the Governor's mansion. This fact is symbolic for Tyler was a transitional figure in Virginia politics. He represented the passing of an era, a generation marked by
war, Reconstruction, depression and political instability. Tyler's political career must be reviewed within this context.

Digitization of this thesis was made possible by a generous grant from the Jefferson Trust, 2015.

Thesis originally deposited on 2016-03-14 in version 1.28 of Libra. This thesis was migrated to Libra2 on 2017-03-23 16:34:22.