Commission on that subject. Legislation proposed by the
Commission was adopted without change by the General
Assembly.

Mr. O'Conor was nominated as the Democratic candidate
for Governor and was elected to that office in the general
election of November 8th, 1938, by a majority of over
65,000.

The Governor has received honorary degrees of Doctor
of Laws from the University of Maryland, Loyola College
of Baltimore, Villanova College of Pennsylvania, George-
town University of Washington, D. C. and Washington
College at Chestertown. He is a member of the American
Bar Association, the Maryland State and the Baltimore
City Bar Associations; he is also a member of the Elks,
Moose, Eagles, Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, American Legion, Phi Kappa Sigma, and holds mem-
bership in other clubs.

Secretary of State: FRANCIS PETROTT (Democrat),

Frederick, Md.

Francis Petrott, born in New York City, New York,
April 6, 1896. He is married and has one child, a daughter,
twelve years of age. His preliminary education was ob-
tained in private and public schools of New York and Con-
necticut. In 1914 he moved his residence to Washington,
where he entered Georgetown University and continued his
studies until April 6, 1917, on which date war was declared
and he enlisted in the Air Service and was ordered to the
School of Military Aeronautics, Princeton University, from
which he graduated, and served in the armed forces until
1921 and only recently resigned his commission in the
Officers' Reserve Corps.

In 1921 he received his degree from Georgetown Univer-
sity and from that date until 1925 studied at Yale Univer-
sity Graduate School.

On September II, 1921 he was married to Mary Catherine
James, daughter of William B. and Carrie James of Fred-
erick, Maryland, where he has since made his home.

Mr. Petrott, although an ardent Democrat, did not take
much interest in politics until his personal friend, Herbert
R. O'Conor, ran for state-wide office in 1934. On May 17,
1939, he was appointed Secretary of State, by Governor
O'Conor to succeed the Honorable John B. Gontrum, who
resigned to accept the appointment of State Insurance
Commissioner.