Willard Duncan Vandiver
Encyclopedia
Willard Duncan Vandiver (1854-1932) was a member of the United States House of Representatives
from the state of Missouri
. He is popularly credited with the authorship of the famous expression: "I'm from Missouri, you've got to show me," which led to the state's famous nickname: "The Show Me State". In an 1899 speech, he declared, “I come from a country that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs
and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me.”
This attribution is doubtful, however, as the phrase was current earlier in the 1890s, so it appears that Vandiver merely popularized it.
Born near Moorefield, Virginia
now a part of West Virginia
, he moved to Missouri with his parents, who settled on a farm in Boone County
in 1857, and to Fayette
in 1872. He graduated from Central College
in 1877; studied law, and became a professor of natural science at the Bellevue Institute from 1877-1880. and served as its president 1880-1889; accepted the chair of science in the State normal school at Cape Girardeau, Missouri
in 1889, and became its president in 1893 and served until 1897; delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1896, 1898, 1918, and 1920 and served as chairman in 1918.
Vandiver was elected as a Democrat
to the Fifty-fifth United States Congress 1896, and was re-elected three times. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1904. Vandiver served as chairman of the State executive committee in 1904, State insurance commissioner of Missouri 1905-1909, vice president of the Central States Life Insurance Co. 1910-1912, and Assistant Treasurer of the United States
1913-1921. He retired and settled on a farm near Columbia, Missouri
. He died on May 30, 1932, and is buried in the Columbia Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the state of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He is popularly credited with the authorship of the famous expression: "I'm from Missouri, you've got to show me," which led to the state's famous nickname: "The Show Me State". In an 1899 speech, he declared, “I come from a country that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs
Cocklebur
Cockleburs are a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to the Americas and eastern Asia.-Growth:They are coarse, herbaceous annual plants growing to 19.69-47.24 in tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, with a deeply toothed margin. Some species, notably X...
and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me.”
This attribution is doubtful, however, as the phrase was current earlier in the 1890s, so it appears that Vandiver merely popularized it.
Born near Moorefield, Virginia
Moorefield, West Virginia
Moorefield is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, USA. Moorefield is the county seat of Hardy County. It was originally chartered in 1777 and named for Conrad Moore, who owned the land upon which the town was laid out...
now a part of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, he moved to Missouri with his parents, who settled on a farm in Boone County
Boone County, Missouri
Boone County is a county centrally located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the eighth most populous county in Missouri. In 2010, the population was 162,642. Its county seat, Columbia, is the fifth largest city in Missouri and the anchor city of the Columbia Metropolitan Area.-History:Boone...
in 1857, and to Fayette
Fayette, Missouri
Fayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. It is in the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in 1872. He graduated from Central College
Central Methodist University
Central Methodist University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is an accredited four year institution of higher education and offers masters, bachelors, and associates degrees...
in 1877; studied law, and became a professor of natural science at the Bellevue Institute from 1877-1880. and served as its president 1880-1889; accepted the chair of science in the State normal school at Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
in 1889, and became its president in 1893 and served until 1897; delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1896, 1898, 1918, and 1920 and served as chairman in 1918.
Vandiver was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Fifty-fifth United States Congress 1896, and was re-elected three times. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1904. Vandiver served as chairman of the State executive committee in 1904, State insurance commissioner of Missouri 1905-1909, vice president of the Central States Life Insurance Co. 1910-1912, and Assistant Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
1913-1921. He retired and settled on a farm near Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
. He died on May 30, 1932, and is buried in the Columbia Cemetery.