The story of how Lincoln became the capital of Nebraska is often told. The territorial capital in Omaha was moved to the village of Lancaster after South Platte politicians successfully won a long and bitter fight over the location of the capital of the newly-admitted state. The name of Lincoln was a last-ditch effort to […]
Author Archives: davesund
1892: Gov. Boyd and the Legal Fight to Keep Him from Office
In 1890, James Boyd, an Irish immigrant who had served two terms as Mayor of Omaha was elected Governor of Nebraska, the first Democrat to be elected after 24 years of unbroken Republican victories. Gov. John Milton Thayer was not a candidate in the 1890 general election. But when it came time for him to […]
Brief Update
Working on a few things for the site, including a Wiki. A post on the 1890 election which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court will be coming soon. In the meantime, here are some headlines from Nebraska newspapers 100 years ago, March 28, 1919: “Women’s Rights In League,” Omaha Daily Bee. The […]
1895: “They Had Earned Equality Before The Law”
In 1895, Nebraska’s first black state legislator sponsored a bill repealing the state’s ban on interracial marriage. The bill passed but the Populist Governor vetoed it. The story of the 1895 Nebraska Legislature.
1970: “They’re In For A Surprise”
Described as “militant” in the press, a 33 year-old barber challenged the incumbent state senator for North Omaha’s 11th legislative district. Decades later, he is one of the most important figures in the history of Nebraska’s legislature, still serving at the age of 81.
1982: “A Nice Christian City”
Days before Lincoln was to vote on a City Charter amendment that would add sexual orientation to the list of protected classes under the Lincoln Human Rights Ordinance, the leading opponent of the proposal made an explosive charge.
Hello Again!
I decided to restart this blog as a place to put some longform thoughts, and really start writing again. I’m going to try something a little bit different with this iteration: for a number of reasons I don’t want to spill a bunch of virtual ink over the political controversies of the moment. I do […]