honest dick january unknown kentucky state treasurer nicknamed honest dick good reputation colleagues nickname turned ironic nearly quarter million dollars state treasury found frequently cited kentucky fourth constitutional convention reason impose term limits kentucky elected officials term limit remained force kentucky officials state constitution amended allow governor lieutenant governor state treasurer state serve consecutive terms early life born child nancy taylor second husband colonel kentucky father descended virginia family scots irish ancestry father farmer veteran war paternal grandfather veteran maternal grandfather reverend pioneer baptist minister kentucky received education franklin counties finished schooling later year age began work clerk post office june married june couple child son named howard died age couple daughter political career political career began appointment governor position assistant secretary state state kentucky model democrat resigned post governor elected years later appointed post democratic governor supported wing kentucky democratic party american civil war resigned disagreements general_assembly continued serve hand picked successor resigning end robinson term served assistant clerk end service house successfully ran state treasurer post elected years decades mentioned biographer contributed personal popularity great success democratic party adding time opposition party elected popular exceeding obtained candidate office state popularity lease office regarded fixed fact gubernatorial race republican challenger issue need examine treasury bradley ultimately lost race idea treasurer records took root general_assembly began calling commission undertake session claimed need time books order effectively delayed establishment commission ultimately formed disappearance aftermath quarter began pattern behavior aroused considerable suspicion man lesser began checks state bank account instead cash usual short period time paid number personal debts march noticed filling tobacco sacks gold silver coins later determined worth departed louisville leaving note saying return days nature job perceived record found actions questionable week passed word clear happened records later days louisville boarded train cincinnati vanished leaving wife daughter investigation followed state found giving state officials loans times left unpaid advances salaries including advance thousand dollars governor apparently state money personal investments mines real estate governor announced outright theft state treasury hearings followed house_of_representatives senate removed office counts criminal indictment followed case marked officially reported freed implicated scandal obligation repay state synonymous political corruption state crime frequently cited state fourth constitutional convention resulting constitution expanded term limit applied governor statewide elected officials legislature voters adopted term limit officials despite general_assembly offer information leading arrest found family claimed heard presumed committed suicide daughter eventually admitted received letters father april december letters british_columbia canada japan china san_francisco witness claimed seen letter friends written brazil known communication honest dick article new_york_times citing friends know claimed believed died china
James "Honest Dick" Tate