Albert Houston Roberts

Albert Houston Roberts (July 4, 1868 – June 25, 1946) was an American politician, educator, and jurist. He served as the 33rd governor of Tennessee from 1919 to 1921, having previously served as a state court judge and as principal of the Alpine Institute. He is best remembered for calling the special session of the Tennessee General Assembly that ratified the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, in August 1920. Roberts' support for the amendment and his unpopular tax reform initiatives divided the state Democratic Party and doomed his reelection chances.

Early life Roberts was born in the community of Alpine in Overton County, Tennessee, the son of John and Sarah (Carlock) Roberts. In 1881, his family moved to Columbus, Kansas. He returned to Tennessee in 1886, however, where he attended Hiwassee College in Madisonville, earning his B.A. in 1889.

Roberts was admitted to the bar in 1894, and practiced law in the nearby county seat, Livingston. In 1910, he was elected Chancellor of the Fourth Judicial District, which covered fifteen Middle Tennessee counties. He served as an advisor to Benton McMillin's unsuccessful 1912 gubernatorial campaign, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party's nomination for governor in 1914, losing to Tom Rye. and defeated Peay in the primary by 12,000 votes. In the general election, Roberts defeated Knoxville judge Hugh B. Lindsay, 98,628 (62%) votes to 59,518 (38%) (turnout is believed to have been influenced by that year's flu epidemic).

Among Roberts' first orders of business was to certify the state's ratification of the 18th Amendment, which implemented nationwide prohibition. The state senate had voted 28 to 2 in favor of ratification, and the state house had voted 82 to 2 in favor. Tennessee was the 23rd state to ratify the amendment.

When Roberts took office, Tennessee was struggling with mounting state debt and an outdated tax code that favored rural residents over urban residents.

Having alienated multiple constituencies within his own party, Roberts was challenged for the party's nomination for governor in 1920 by former Chattanooga mayor William Riley Crabtree. Along with attacks from labor groups and farmers, Roberts was accused by Putnam County Herald editor E. L. Wirt of hiring a "disreputable" secretary. In spite of these attacks and the general unpopularity of his tax reforms, he defeated Crabtree 67,886 votes to 44,853 in the party's August 5 primary. Several of the Alpine Institute's buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Albert H. Roberts Law Office, a small building constructed circa 1885 and rented by Roberts from 1900 to 1913, still stands on Main Street in Livingston. The building has been listed on the National Register and documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey.