Eugene Siler, a life revisited (part two)

If you missed the first installment of this new ongoing series of columns focused on the life and political career of Eugene Siler, Sr. I would highly suggest checking that out at www.thennewsjournal.net. It provides some important background information that will help you to better appreciate this column, and hopefully future columns, as we make our way through the year 2024.

With that being said, I would like to take everyone back to November 20, 1952. Inside that day’s edition of the Whitley Republican, a story appeared talking about Siler as he was named moderator for the Kentucky State Association of Baptists.

“The highest honor within the province of Kentucky Baptists was conferred last Thursday on a layman, Judge Eugene Siler of Williamsburg,” the report stated. “Siler, a former justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, was installed as moderator of the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky.”

“Generally, the Baptists select a minister as their moderator,” the report went on to say. “But there have been several laymen as moderators in the 115-year history of the Kentucky association.”

The story mentions that Siler’s father, Judge A.T. Siler, also of Williamsburg, as one of those previous layman moderators, making the Silers the first-ever father-and-son duo to hold the office.

In the year prior to this development, Eugene Siler found himself on the campaign trail when he made a bid for the Kentucky governor’s mansion. He put his faith at the forefront of the campaign, as we see in many of his public addresses leading up to the election.

“If there was ever a time when we had spiritual wickedness in high places, that time is right now,” Siler was quoted as saying during an event in Somerset where he officially opened up his campaign. “So, gird your loins, good people, put on the whole armor of God and we will go forward to victory with our whole ticket and replace that Belshazzar crowd with a capable, God-fearing administration of honest people in Kentucky once more.”

As you can clearly see, Siler had a flair for the dramatic, and he was not, from the very outset, afraid to say exactly what he had on his mind. We will see that become a recurring theme throughout later installments.

Siler somewhat famously ran on an “eight-point platform” that included the following:

• If elected, he would never again run for public office

• He would support legislation to raise old-age pension payments by over $4 million a year

• He would back legislation to raise teachers’ salaries by $5.5 million a year

• He would seek a reduction of low-bracket income taxes to exempt payments for single persons with an income of $2,500 a year or less and for married persons with an income of $5,000 a year or less

• He would work for a reduction of automobile license fees

• He would oppose the use of public funds to finance private or parochial school busses

• He would favor a return to a county unit local option law, preventing cities from adopting liquor sales in dry counties

• He would favor a three-cent sales tax on non-essential items

Now, you may personally agree or disagree with any of the above-mentioned points, but I would like to focus on the first one for just a moment. During a speech that Siler gave just before the election, he was quoted as saying, “As your Governor, I solemnly pledge to the people of Kentucky that, if I am elected, I will serve a full four-year term for the benefit of Kentuckians. As certain as there is a God in heaven, moreover, I will not run again for any office after I become governor.”

“My solemn promise to Kentuckians is personal retirement of myself from politics after a full four-year term,” Siler continued. “Aiming at the objective – the dedication of my administration to clean, honest and progressive government during these next four political years.”

As it turns out, we did not get the chance to see if Siler would make good on his promise, as he was defeated by the incumbent governor, Democrat Lawrence Weatherby, who received 54.6 percent of the vote.

Things happen for a reason, though, and it actually ended up being a good thing that Siler didn’t have the chance to retire from politics. A few years later, he would make a decision to run for a seat in the United States Congress. It would be a decision that would affect his life, and the lives of Whitley Countians for many years to come.

Reminder – After his political career came to an end, Eugene Siler continued to serve the people of Whitley County, using a newspaper column that he titled “Head or Tales” to keep the local citizenry informed of various important topics. He would also often discuss historical matters, offer thoughts on recent events, and more.

To learn how you can read many of these Head or Tales columns for yourself, contact the Whitley County Historical and Genealogical Society at (606) 549-7089.