Helm was a Whig who later became a Democrat. He was a lawyer, state legislator, Speaker of the state house, and lieutenant governor, becoming governor upon Crittenden's resignation. Helm was elected in his own right (as a Democrat) on a platform of reconciliation after the Civil War. Ill upon taking office, Helm was the only governor inaugurated outside the state capital (September 3, 1867) and died five days later. An advocate of internal improvements to foster economic growth, he championed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.

Image Courtesy of the Kentucky Historical Society