January 16, 1913, marked a day of high-stakes politics in the Empire State. Governor William Sulzer of New York offered a plum position to a man from Georgia, but the latter would have none of it. John Temple Graves, a former Georgian and a respected journalist, was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: a seat on the state’s public service commission, complete with a salary of $15,000 per annum for a six-year term. This was no small potatoes, folks. The commission was the biggest prize in Governor Sulzer’s arsenal, and he clearly had Graves in mind for the job.
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Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: National
- Category: Public Corruption
- Era: Historical
- Source: Library of Congress — Chronicling America ↗
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