The Administrative Code of 1931: William Tudor Gardiner and Government Reform

Welfare reform, downsizing government and making government more efficient are issues that could be taken from some 1990s political candidate\u27s campaign handbook. But they have been longstanding themes in Maine\u27s political history. Administrative reform was a key element in William Tudor Gardiner\u27s two terms as governor from 1929 to 1933. No study of Gardiner\u27s career would be complete without examining the events encompassing the Administrative Code of 1931, a comprehensive reform bill that was intended to change the way Maine government operated. Claude G. Berube earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Saint Anselm College in 1988 and his Master of Arts in history from Northeastern University in 1990. He is currently writing a biography of Governor William Tudor Gardiner. An officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, he is a native of Lewiston, Maine, and currently resides in Virginia. He would like to thank Miss Margaret Gardiner of Woolwich, for their interviews and permission to review and use material from Gov. Gardiner\u27s personal papers and photographs