Background
Bickett, Thomas Walter was born on February 28, 1869 in Monroe, North Carolina, United States. Son of Thomas W. and Mary A. (Covington) Bickett.
Bickett, Thomas Walter was born on February 28, 1869 in Monroe, North Carolina, United States. Son of Thomas W. and Mary A. (Covington) Bickett.
Bachelor of Arts, Wake Forest College, North Carolina, 1890. Law course, University of North Carolina, 1892-1893.
Bickett was a graduate of Wake Forest College. Prior to being elected Governor, Bickett practiced law in Louisburg, represented Franklin County in the North Carolina General Assembly and then served as North Carolina Attorney General for two terms (1909–1917). In 1916, Bickett became the first state governor who was nominated by means of a Democratic Party primary election (in which he defeated Lieutenant Government Elijah L Daughtridge).
Under Bickett"s leadership, the state saw improvements in child welfare, public health, electricity, and running water.
He persuaded the legislature to establish the state"s first income tax He also had to lead the state through World War I.
Walter Bickett Elementary in Monroe, North Carolina (where he was born) is named for him.
Mason.
Married Fannie North. Yarborough, November 29, 1898.