John Millard Tawes (April 8, 1894June 25, 1979), was an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party who was the 54th Governor of Maryland from 1959 to 1967. He remains the only Marylander to be elected to the three positions of State Treasurer, Comptroller, and governor.
Early life and family
Tawes was born to James and Alice (née Byrd) Tawes in Crisfield, Maryland. He received his early education in the Somerset County, Maryland, public schools, and later attended Bryant and Stratton Business College where he studied banking and accounting. After college, Tawes earned a living working in lumbering and canning firms that were owned by his father, which later expanded into shipbuilding, baking, and banking. Tawes married Helen Avalynne Gibson on December 25, 1915; with her he had two children.
Maryland political career
Tawes' political career began in 1930 when he was elected as clerk of the court for Somerset County, Maryland, narrowly defeating his opponent Harry T. Phoebus by 72 votes.
Many of the themes Tawes began in his first term were continued in his second, including educational reform. The allocation of state aid to educational institutions was recalculated by the legislature during his second term, resulting in increased funds being directed towards the most needy districts. Tawes also managed to establish an educational television network, which he had been campaigning for since his first term.
Following his death, Tawes was reflected upon as a moderate and calm political figure. While publicly seen as weak due to his age and often indirect administration methods, Tawes was capable of pushing legislation through the General Assembly when necessary, though he was not always eager to do so.