MESSAGES TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INAUGURAL ADDRESS
January 14, 1959

Mr, President, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General
Assembly:

I have just taken the oath of office as Governor of the State of
Maryland.

This solemn ceremony has left me with a feeling of both pride and
humility—pride in the consciousness that I now am a part of that
succession of men who have been chosen to govern this State, and
humble as men are likely to be when faced with a grave task and
heavy responsibilities.

In taking office today, I have become the fifty-ninth elected Gov-
ernor. And thus I take my place in a long line of Governors that goes
back more than 180 years—to Thomas Johnson, who was sworn in as
the first elected Chief Executive in 1777.

The responsibilities which now rest upon me I feel most deeply,
and in all humility, I implore the support and the prayers of the
citizens of Maryland who have given me the opportunity to serve
them in this high office. It is my own fervent wish that I may be
able to discharge these obligations with courage, dignity and wisdom.

Each Governor, during his administration, confronts the peculiar
problems of his day and era. Glancing back over the recent history
of the State, we recall that Governor O'Conor's responsibility was to
make certain that Maryland rendered the maximum contribution
toward winning a global war. Governor Lane's big task was to restore
State services and rebuild State facilities, which, through necessity, had
been deferred during the war years. My immediate predecessor, Gov-
ernor McKeldin, had the burden of guiding our State through a period
of intensified growth in population and economic activity.

Now, with this inauguration, we are moving into a new era—an
era which will produce new problems and new challenges and a period
in which the people of Maryland will be called upon to make deci-
sions of great consequence. Firm courage in the face of these chal-
lenges must become the touchstone for the conduct of the Governor,
the Legislature and all public servants.

The task of the Legislature is not made any easier because of the