Walton, John C.

Walton, John C.

(1881–1949) governor; born near Indianapolis, Ind. An engineer, he served as Oklahoma City's commissioner of Public Works (1917–19) and mayor (1919–23). As Democratic governor in 1923, he used martial law to stop Ku Klux Klan violence in Tulsa County, extending it statewide to block his opponents. Impeached after ten months in office for abusing his powers, he later served on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (1932–39).