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43-686: In 1907, Kate Barnard was appointed Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Corrections. After visiting prisons in Kansas detaining Oklahoma offenders, Barnard concluded that a more civil and humane prison needed to be constructed in Oklahoma. Within two years, Barnard persuaded the legislature to authorize development of both the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and the Oklahoma State Reformatory. The reformatory

86-471: A Democratic candidate, easily beating Republican W. S. Caldwell, he became the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma . He was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma on January 10, 1927. During the first session of the 12th Oklahoma Legislature in 1929, the House brought official impeachment charges against Johnston. Effective January 21, Holloway officially became acting governor. Once Johnston

129-519: A business course, then became a secretary for the territorial legislature in Oklahoma City. In 1904, she was selected from among 500 applicants to be a "territorial hostess" at the St. Louis World's Fair. While in St. Louis, she met Jane Addams and others who were active in social reform movements. She also was exposed to big-city slum life, crime and other related social ills. From then on, she became

172-668: A reformer. Prior to Oklahoma statehood , Barnard was involved in aid and charity work in Oklahoma City and was the head of the union - label organization in Oklahoma. She also participated in the Farm-Labor meetings of 1906 in Shawnee which drafted the "Shawnee Demands" that later formed the basis of the soon-to-be-drafted Oklahoma state constitution. After her election as the Charities and Corrections Commissioner, she

215-583: A result of grafting . During this time, her office produced the first official governmental investigative report of the Osage Indian murders . Her work on behalf of Indian children raised the ire of William H. Murray and other prominent Oklahoma businessmen and officials who convinced the state legislature to defund her office. Wilma Mankiller's 1993 book, Mankiller, A Chief and Her People , on page 173 quotes Barnard: "I have been compelled to see orphans robbed, starved, and burned for money. I have named

258-502: A statewide speed limit of 45 miles-per-hour. Holloway also reduced the Oklahoma Highway Commission, created by governor Trapp, from five members to three. An issue that Holloway dealt with head on was the western boundary of Oklahoma. Holloway called a special session of the 12th Oklahoma Legislature on May 16, 1929. The state legislature adjourned on July 5, with the resolution of acquiring toll bridges along

301-675: A trade, such as bakery, cooking, plumbing, cleaners, and stonemasonry. With the death of Warden George Waters in 1927, Mrs. Clara Waters replaced her deceased husband, becoming the first woman to head an all-male prison in the United States. Mrs. Waters was well known for her unique style of punishment. It was not uncommon for the young men at the prison to be dressed in women's clothing and then displayed for visitors to taunt and ridicule them. In spite of her unusual punishments, Mrs. Waters focused mainly on educational and religious programs for prisoners. She created an educational program within

344-465: A year into his term and replaced by Lieutenant Governor Martin E. Trapp . Waters was reappointed as warden and began to clean up the damage to the Reformatory. In 1926, Warden J. J. Savage made his Annual Report of the Oklahoma State Reformatory and observed that the inmates were going to school for half a day and working for the other half. He was impressed by how many of the prisoners were learning

387-492: The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma . At the time, the office was vacant following the succession of former Lieutenant Governor Martin E. Trapp to the governorship after Governor John C. Walton 's removal from office. His six years of experience as a state senator, and his reputation as a friend to teachers and education reform, earned Holloway the election and with the usual result of 55.7% (197,783 votes) for

430-597: The National Prison Association and was appointed into Oklahoma's Hall of Fame in 1935. Mrs. Waters was warden during the infamous prison break in Granite on February 17, 1935. The prison employees of the Oklahoma State Reformatory were caught off guard when around 31 inmates attempted to escape. The prisoners had managed to smuggle two guns into their possession, using them to threaten the officers on duty. Eight surrendered and two returned voluntarily

473-468: The Oklahoma State Reformatory charged with the murder of an Oklahoma service station attendant. During his time at the reformatory, Carnes and two other men were convicted on federal kidnapping charges and were sentenced to 99 years in prison. Instead of serving his time at the reformatory, Carnes was transferred due to his behavioral problems to Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. At age 18, he was

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516-482: The Robertson-Waters team and ousting Waters from his position as warden. During his brief term, Governor Walton exchanged Waters' employees with unqualified people to work in the prisons' shops, which greatly damaged the shop's inventories. He altered, even eliminated, several constructive projects Waters had helped create and build. Due to massive amounts of corruption at all levels, Walton was impeached only

559-406: The United States, in 1907. All ten prior elected women were elected to Superintendent of Public Instruction in four states (ND: Emma Bates and Laura Eisenhuth; ID: Mae Scott, Permeal French and Belle Chamberlain; CO; Katherine Craig, Helen Grenfell, Grace Patton, Angenette Peavey; WY: Estelle Reel). She served as the first Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Corrections for two four-year terms,

602-572: The United States, was thrown into the Great Depression . Until this point, Holloway had vowed to keep the state's expenditures under $ 30,000,000 in his two years of Governorship. With Oklahoma already $ 2,000,000 in debt, the Depression only made matters worse. Holloway was forced to spend more money than the state's revenues allowed in order to prevent a total collapse of the state government and private businesses. This would continue until

645-428: The border. Holloway's most important reform came in his administration's changing of Oklahoma's election laws. The governor instituted the runoff primary for the first time. This required a candidate to hold a clear majority in a party in order to run on the party's ticket. On October 29, 1929, Holloway's administration, as well as the rest of the world, would face a new problem. When Wall Street crashed , Oklahoma, and

688-417: The central control room, which detects vibrations caused by cutting and/or climbing. In 1914, Barnard stepped down after seven years as Commissioner of Charities and Corrections and was succeeded by William D. Mathews. After her departure, the original rehabilitative goals of the facility were weakened. The governor of Oklahoma in 1915, Robert L. Williams was primarily concerned with the economic interests of

731-465: The day of the escape. Eighteen were still at large the next day. Mrs. Waters was fired from her position as Warden, ending the Waters' family era within the reformatory. The Oklahoma State Reformatory was home for roughly fourteen months to aviator Wiley Post . A native Texan, Post moved to Oklahoma to work in the prosperous oil fields in order to raise money for his own personal airplane. During 1921, he

774-593: The death penalty because he did not murder officers assigned to him during the escape; he lived until 61, dying at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. Kate Barnard Catherine Ann "Kate" Barnard (May 23, 1875 – February 23, 1930) was the first woman to be elected as a state official in Oklahoma , and the eleventh woman to be elected to a statewide public office in

817-552: The end of his term. In 1930, the colorful and popular Democrat William H. Murray was elected to replace Holloway. Holloway officially left office on January 12, 1931, as Murray was inaugurated as the ninth Governor of Oklahoma . After leaving office, Holloway would move to Oklahoma City where he would practice law until his death on January 28, 1970, at the age of 81. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Oklahoma City. Holloway's son, William Judson Holloway Jr. ,

860-626: The facility, which would later become the first official high school established behind the walls of a prison in the United States, Lakeside High School at Oklahoma State Reformatory. Mrs. Waters was highly regarded locally as well as nationally. In October 1930, she was appointed to attend the annual meeting of the American Prison Congress in Louisville, Kentucky by the governor at the time, William J. Holloway , as his personal representative and delegate from Oklahoma. There she

903-434: The four towers which are manned by armed officers for direct observation. The granite walls surrounding the compound of radiating cell blocks rise approximately twenty-four feet tall with a thickness of three feet at grade level and two feet at its top. Layers of razor wire extend along the top as well as inside of the wall's interior. These wires are linked up to an Intrepid Micro-Point Intrusion Detection system, monitored by

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946-585: The inmates, consisting of 500 books while also connecting with local charity organizations willing to donate books. In addition to reforming the prison within its walls, Waters trained the prisoners in scientific agriculture on the farm land surrounding the Reformatory, establishing experimental seed farms and specialized husbandry for cattle, sheep, and hogs. Waters acquired technical aid from the Agricultural and Mechanical College at Stillwater . In 1923, John C. Walton replaced Robertson as governor, splitting

989-536: The institution assisted the U.S. military by supplying the Aviation Field at Fort Sill with building materials. When James B. A. Robertson replaced Williams as governor in 1919, Robertson appointed Dr. George A. Waters, a highly respected farmer and physician, as warden of the Reformatory. During his years as supervisor of the prison, Waters requested that the Board of Public Affairs create a general library for

1032-411: The men and accused them and furnished the records and affidavits to convict them, but with no result. I decided long ago that Oklahoma had no citizen who cared whether or not an orphan is robbed or starved or killed - because his dead claim is easier to handle than if he were alive." During the rest of her life, Barnard continued to live in Oklahoma (often traveling to Colorado and other states during

1075-461: The only position that the 1907 Oklahoma Constitution permitted a woman to hold. Before being elected to office, Barnard had worked as a teacher and in clerical patronage positions in the territorial government. She was also heavily involved in charity work. Barnard was born in Geneva, Nebraska , on May 23, 1875, to John P. and Rachel Sheill Barnard. Her mother died when she was two and the family

1118-501: The quarry for minimal wages. No original structures in the complex remain. The oldest standing, the Oklahoma State Industries broom factory/upholstery building, was constructed in 1921. All other buildings currently in use have been constructed since 1957. In 1928, the institution had one main guard tower, dedicated to a former warden, on which stood cell houses on either side. The facility currently operates two of

1161-644: The reformatory. Through his speeches, he saw no difference between the penitentiary and the reformatory, believing that the reformatory should become a second penitentiary and its warden to be businessman-like. In an attempt to make the prison more self-sustaining, Governor Williams negotiated with the Rock Island Railroad Company, using the state-owned mountain of granite and the reformatory's inmates for labor. After three years, Governor Williams claimed an enlargement and improvement within several prison industrial and buildings. During World War I,

1204-533: The state government. In the progressive footsteps of his early predecessors, Holloway passed laws redefining child labor limits and instituted a new mining code which improved health and safety regulations. Also in progressive manner, Holloway instituted a statewide Temperance Day in public schools on the Friday nearest January 16. Due to the increased number of automobiles on Oklahoma's highways, public safety issues were being raised. In response, Holloway mandated

1247-628: The summer due to her severe health problems) and she died on February 23, 1930, in Oklahoma City (where she was found dead in a hotel bathroom). She was buried in Oklahoma City (in a grave that was not marked until the 1980s), but today a bronze statue of her is on display on the first floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol . She was inducted in the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1982. William J. Holloway William Judson Holloway (December 15, 1888 – January 28, 1970)

1290-593: The war ended before he could serve. In 1920, he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate to represent Choctaw, McCurtain, and Pushmataha counties in the 24th district. He was reelected in 1924. In 1925, he was elected by his fellow state senators as President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate . Holloway had only served two years of his second term when he ran on the Democratic ticket for election of

1333-484: The youngest inmate ever imprisoned within its walls. While serving his sentence in Alcatraz, Carnes was involved in an escape along with five fellow inmates and took over a section of their cell block. U.S. Marines as well as prison guards from distances as far away as Kansas were sent to retake the facility. Three of the six inmates died during the assault, and two others were executed shortly thereafter. Carnes avoided

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1376-399: Was a key player in the enactment of the compulsory education laws , state support of poor widows dependent on their children's earnings, and statutes implementing the constitutional ban on child labor . She also was an advocate for working Oklahomans through the work she did in securing legislation aimed at eradicating unsafe working conditions and the blacklist of union members. She

1419-403: Was an American principal , lawyer , and politician who served as the fourth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1927 to 1929. Following Henry S. Johnston 's impeachment and removal from office, Holloway became the eighth governor of Oklahoma . Prior to becoming governor, Holloway was a Hugo schoolteacher, a state senator and President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate . As governor he

1462-476: Was an only child and his mother died in 1892. His father, a Baptist pastor , attended Ouachita Baptist College (now Ouachita Baptist University ) and sent Holloway there to be educated as well. During a summer term in 1911, Holloway traveled to Illinois to study at the University of Chicago . In 1910, Holloway moved to Hugo, Oklahoma where he became the principal of the elementary school. In 1912, he

1505-418: Was established by an act of the legislature in 1909. Construction began shortly thereafter, housing its first inmate in 1910. Situated adjacent to Granite Mountain (also known as "White Mountain"), the reformatory was constructed through prison labor using the granite quarried from the mountain. A large factor in the selection of the institution's site was the prospect of employing the prison's inmates to work in

1548-635: Was featured as an anti-suffragist in Good Housekeeping who discussed her work uncovering the abuses of Oklahoma prisoners. Her work and the pressure she put on Oklahoma's first Governor , Charles N. Haskell , resulted in the return of the prisoners to Oklahoma and the construction of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma . Her political career ended during her second term in office, after she began to advocate on behalf of Indian wards who were being cheated out of their land as

1591-667: Was involved in a robbery and was sentenced to ten years in the reformatory. After only serving about one-tenth of his original sentence, Post was given a full pardon in December 1934. After his time at the Oklahoma State Reformatory, Post went on to be one of the first pilots to make a non-stop flight from the United States to Germany and the first to fly solo around the world, setting many record times. His life, as well as that of Oklahoma's beloved Will Rogers , ended on August 15, 1935 when his airplane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska. In 1945, Clarence Carnes , known as "Choctaw Kid," entered

1634-485: Was living in Kansas . She was raised by relatives until 1891, when she moved to Newalla, Oklahoma , where her father, a jack-of-all-trades, had a land claim. She lived alone on the claim for two years while he lived and worked in Oklahoma City. She moved to Oklahoma City in 1895, attended St. Joseph's Academy (a Catholic school), obtained a teaching certificate, and taught until 1902. After she quit teaching, Barnard took

1677-710: Was made principal of the high school. While in Hugo, Holloway began to study law. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law in 1915 with his law degree and return to practice in Hugo, joining the state bar in September 1915. In 1916, running on the Democratic ticket, Holloway became the county attorney for Choctaw County, Oklahoma . On June 16, 1917, Holloway married Hugo schoolteacher Amy Arnold. Holloway volunteered for officers' training school in World War I, but

1720-636: Was nominated to the board of directors of the National Prison Organization. She was considered one of the most convincing women speakers in the country; indeed Mrs. Waters was informed by the Democratic National Committee in September 1932 that her name was on the list of speakers designated to tour the country. In October 1933, she was also elected in Atlantic City, New Jersey as the vice-president of

1763-527: Was one of the few public officials who dared to cry out against the abuse of Native American children. Barnard relied on her stirring speeches to reach the public and convince the political powers of the need for increased federal protection for all Five Tribes' members. Some have said that her most important action may have been when she uncovered the abusive treatment of Oklahoma prisoners who were being held in Kansas prisons under contract , which included forced labor in coal mines and torture . She

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1806-428: Was removed on March 20, Holloway was elevated from acting governor to the office of eighth Governor of Oklahoma . Like Governor Martin E. Trapp before him, Holloway would become the second lieutenant governor in the state's history to become the governor following impeachment. With an administration beginning in the middle of great government distrust, Holloway worked to silence political unrest and to restore faith in

1849-597: Was responsible for reforming Oklahoma's election laws and addressing transportation problems. Holloway died in 1970 in Oklahoma City . His son, William Judson Holloway Jr. , was a United States federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit . William Judson Holloway was born on December 15, 1888, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas to Stephen Lee Holloway and Molly Horne. He

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