John Montgomery Dalton (D)

Overview

At a Glance

• Sweeping tax reform (increasing beer, liquor, cigarette, gasoline and sales taxes) resulted in a $122 million state surplus
• Signed Missouri Equal Pay Act (1963)
• Signed law requiring new cars to have seatbelts (1965)
• Established intensive mental health centers in urban areas
• Created four-campus system for University of Missouri
• Brought record investment in new plant construction
• Fully funded the foundation formula for public education
• Established the State Commission on Higher Education

Personal History

John Montgomery Dalton was born on November 9, 1900, to Frederick Andrew and Ida Jane Poage Dalton in Walker, Vernon County, Missouri. He was the sixth of seven children. In 1914, the family relocated to Columbia, Missouri, to provide their children with access to public schooling in the university town. Dalton graduated from the University of Missouri with a law degree in 1923.

That same year, he began his law practice in Kennett, Missouri before moving to Senath, Missouri, where he married Geraldine Hall, from Cardwell, Missouri. The couple returned to Kennett in 1929. Throughout his career, Dalton was actively involved in various organizations. He served as president of the Kennett Chamber of Commerce, the Dunklin County Bar Association, the Kennett Board of Education, and the Lions Club, where he became district governor in 1932. Additionally, he was elected as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Kennett and attained the rank of thirty-third degree Mason. To support his legal practice, he organized four rural electric cooperatives in southeast Missouri and served as their attorney, also acting as legislative counsel for the Missouri Rural Electrification Association from 1951 to 1952.

Dalton’s strong moral character, and engaging personality made him a well-liked figure in the community. He ran a grassroots campaign for attorney general by engaging with citizens in small Missouri towns, accepting invitations to speak at various events, dedicating buildings, and participating in parades.

After his time as governor, Dalton opened a law practice in Jefferson City, Missouri, and served on the Board of Trustees for Stephens College and the School of the Ozarks, as well as the Board of Visitors for the University of Missouri. He also held the position of president for both the Des Moines Federal Home Loan Bank and the Board of Trustees for Westminster College.

Gov. Dalton passed away from cancer in 1972 and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Kennett.

Political History

Dalton entered the political arena in 1930 when he ran for the position of Dunklin County prosecuting attorney but lost by fewer than two hundred votes. In 1931, he was appointed marshal of the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City, a role he held until 1937. Afterward, he returned to Kennett to practice law. From 1944 to 1953, he served as city counselor for Kennett and chaired the Dunklin County Central Democratic Committee for eight years. Additionally, he was the chairman of the Democratic State Speakers Bureau and a member of the Democratic State Committee.

In 1952, Dalton was elected attorney general by Missouri's rural voters, becoming the first candidate in forty years to win the Democratic nomination for statewide office without securing victories in either Kansas City or St. Louis. He was reelected in 1956, receiving the largest majority of votes of any candidate on the state ticket. In 1959, he was honored with the Wyman Memorial Award as the outstanding attorney general of the year by the National Association of Attorneys General. The following year, Dalton was elected governor of Missouri, making him the first governor in the state to receive over one million votes, while Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kennedy narrowly carried Missouri in the same election.

Upon taking office, Dalton faced significant financial challenges due to empty state coffers, despite having a postwar reserve fund and a $75 million state bond issue approved in 1956. In his inaugural address, he proposed financing vital programs for education, highways, mental health, and industry by reforming what he called "Missouri's jerry-built tax structure." To foster collaboration, he invited members of the General Assembly to breakfast and lunch at the executive mansion, cultivating personal relationships. When these efforts fell short, he sought support from the press and the public for the politically challenging task of tax reform.

During Dalton's administration, he championed the establishment of a four-campus system for the University of Missouri in Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Rolla, along with a state-financed junior college system. For the first time, the School Foundation Program for public schools was fully funded, and a State Commission on Higher Education was established. Additionally, Dalton signed legislation that classified drunken driving as a graduated felony, introduced a point system for driver's license revocation, mandated seat belts in all new cars starting in 1965, and authorized the construction of 294 miles of interstate highway.

Dalton also prioritized mental health by establishing new intensive treatment centers in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia, and he signed legislation supporting the principle of equal pay for women. In the realm of industrial development, he reorganized the Division of Resources and Development into the Division of Commerce and Industrial Development, conducted tours of the state, and undertook a trade mission abroad to attract industry. These initiatives contributed to a significant increase in new plant construction within Missouri.

Historical Significance

In 1963, Missouri enacted an equal pay law, coinciding with President John F. Kennedy's signing of the federal Equal Pay Act. This state law was designed to ensure that women received the same wage as men for comparable work.

At the beginning of Governor Dalton's tenure, Missouri faced significant financial challenges. To tackle this issue, he instituted extensive tax reforms, which included establishing a withholding system for state income taxes, raising taxes on beer, liquor, and cigarettes, increasing the gasoline tax by two cents per gallon, and adding a one-cent increase to the state sales tax. By the end of Dalton's term, these measures had contributed to a budget surplus of over $122 million for Missouri.