William B. Umstead
Appearance
William Bradley Umstead (13 May 1895 - 7 November 1954) was the Democratic governor of the state of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954. Umstead, a veteran of World War I, was a teacher and lawyer; he served six years in the United States House of Representatives before being appointed to fill a vacant United States Senate seat in 1946. Defeated for a Senate term of his own, Umstead ran for Governor in 1952 and won. However, on 8 January 1953, only two days after his inauguration, Umstead was crippled by a heart attack. He stayed in office until his death nearly two full years afterwards, upon which he was succeeded as governor by Luther H. Hodges.