Benjamin Franklin Hill was something of an invisible candidate in 1924. However, he did help prevent the Democratic Party from becoming yet again a third place loser in the gubernatorial race. Had he not died such an untimely death at age 50 in 1929, it is probable he would've become a major player in Washington State politics after the Democratic sweep of 1932. As it is, if he is ever mentioned in history books at all he is usually assigned the tag of being the "token opposition."

Ben Hill was born Apr. 21, 1879, the son of Ben and Sarah Jane (Cross) Hill. Sources conflict on his birthplace. According to his obituary he was born in Marysville, Iowa, "Five months later he moved with his parents, by wagon train, to Kansas where he spent his youth and attended the state university." His death certificate states he was born in Wellington, Kansas, about 30 miles from Wichita.

Ben came West in 1909, first settling in Pendleton, Oregon for a couple years. On Mar. 3, 1911 he moved across the border to Walla Walla and engaged in the undertaking business. He quickly became politically active and was elected as a Democrat to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1912 and in 1914. In the 1913 Session, the House comprised of 48 Republicans, 30 Progressives, 1 Socialist, and only 18 Democrats. The 1915 Session had 78 Republicans, 6 Progressives, and 13 Democrats. Governor Lister, a lonely statewide elected Democrat, counted on Hill as one of his few legislative supporters. While in office, Ben developed a special interest in improving Washington's highways.

His wife died in 1918, during his brief period of private citizenship. He eventually remarried and returned to the public arena when he defeated the incumbent and was elected Mayor of Walla Walla in 1920 and re-elected in 1923. He had gained a reputation as a mild progressive but remained basically unknown outside of his home turf.

I call Ben Hill the invisible candidate for a reason. It was a foregone conclusion the Republican nominee was going to be Governor. And as Hill was a responsible and moderate man who did not grab headlines through stunts or wild accusations, the press and his Republican opponent basically ignored him. In the primaries, all four Democrats were political unknowns across the state. In addition to Hill was conservative Walter J. Robinson of Pomeroy, E.T. Mathes of Bellingham who was known as an idealist, and the obscure E.F. Blaine of Granger. Interesting to note that three out of four are from east of the Cascades. Clarence Martin, the Democrat who won the Governorship in 1932, was from Cheney. Interesting how political geography has changed over time.

Anyway, the primary was pretty scattered. The result was Hill 7753, Robinson 6568, Mathes 4951, Blaine 3143. These are paltry numbers and should've been a sign the general election was going to be a slaughter. In Wahkiakum County the gubernatorial primary vote tally for the Dems was a grand total of 15! Hill placed first in 14 counties, including Spokane and Pierce. His home county gave him a whopping majority.

As if Hill's road to Olympia wasn't hard enough, there were some factors that pretty much guaranteed his campaign was doomed.

First, there was Roland Hill Hartley. The Everett lumberman did have some parallels with Ben Hill. Both men had served as mayors, and they were even in the State House at the same time for one term, probably negating each others' votes. But after that the similarities end. Hartley had tried twice before to get the Republican nomination, but his flamboyance and right-wing extremism had frightened the party regulars. By 1924 he had moved slightly to the center, and the mainstream of the Republican Party had shifted to the Right. And they met in the middle of the Right. After a very hard fought primary, Hartley got the prize. He would remain a controversial figure throughout his career, painted as a reactionary nutjob by several historians. But he was still very good at campaigning and was a political force that could not be ignored.

Second, there was the national candidate, John W. Davis, who was running for President as a Democrat. Washington State voters with any sort of progressive streak had a difficult time getting behind his campaign. He was viewed as a tool of Wall Street with little to offer the West Coast. There would be no coattails here. In fact, Ben Hill openly defended the the third presidential candidate, Robert La Follette.

"Fighting Bob" had formed yet another Progressive Party and posed more of a threat to Coolidge in Washington State than Davis. In browsing the editorial pages of various 1924 Evergreen State newspapers, the focus is on La Follette and what a dangerous, radical socialist he is. The La Follette supporters in Washington couldn't agree on details and split their party into factions. Although Hill tried hard to present himself as a true progressive allied with La Follette's goals, local progressive splinter groups siphoned away precious votes from the Democrats. By all but endorsing La Follette, Hill left himself open to charges that he himself was a dangerous, radical socialist.

Third was Hill's support for the "Bone Bill." Homer T. Bone was an interesting character in Washington State political history. In 1924 Bone had been one of only three Farmer-Labor Party members of the State House. His bill had proposed that municipal utilities could sell their power beyond their borders. It sparked an emotional private/public sector debate. Hill had made his support of the bill an important part of his campaign. The Republicans used his support as proof he was a dangerous, radical socialist.

The general election wasn't even close. Hill placed second with 126,447 votes (32.40%). At least he came in second, which is more than John Davis did in Washington. So in his own way Hill helped save his party from total and complete shame. To give you an idea on what a sweep it was, here is the party breakdown of the 1925 Legislature. Senate: 39 Republicans, 2 Democrats, 1 Farmer-Labor Party. House: 92 Republicans, 5 Democrats. Hill took four counties in rural Eastern Washington (Adams, Douglas, Ferry, and Franklin) and placed third in Pierce County, home base of J.R. "Bob" Oman. Hill did not win his home county of Walla Walla.

Still Mayor of Walla Walla, Ben Hill returned home and ran for a third term in 1926 but was defeated. After his defeat he developed a business relationship of some sort with the Old Oregon Trail Freighting Co.

In 1929 he decided to make another run for Mayor in Walla Walla. His wife died that August, during the campaign. Hill was elected with no problem and was sworn into office on Dec. 16, 1929. He suffered a massive stroke on Dec. 24, and died 12-29-29 without having regained consciousness. The local paper eulogized, "Ben Hill was a friendly man. He met people with a smile and he made their interests his. It mattered not whether he was meeting men in overalls or in frock coats. He possessed the faculty of mixing with people in all stations of life. He drew his support, in his political campaigns, from all quarters."