James L. Alcorn

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James L. Alcorn

James Lusk Alcorn (born November 4, 1816 in Golconda , Pope County , Illinois , † December 19, 1894 in Friars Point , Mississippi ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Mississippi from 1870 to 1871 . Between 1871 and 1877 he represented his state in the US Senate .

Early years

James Alcorn attended Cumberland College in Kentucky . Between 1839 and 1844 he was Deputy Sheriff in Livingston County . In 1843 he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives for one term . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1844, he moved to Delta in Panola County , Mississippi, where he worked in his new profession.

Political rise

James Alcorn was initially a member of the Whigs . He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1846, 1856, and 1857 . Between 1848 and 1854 he was also a member of the State Senate . In 1856 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Congress . In 1857 he turned down an offered candidacy for governor of Mississippi. In 1858 he became chairman of the dyke construction commission and thus the actual founder of the modern dyke systems along the rivers of the Mississippi state. In 1861 Alcorn spoke out against the secession of his state. Even so, he became a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army during the Civil War . He then joined the Republican Party and represented their positions with regard to the former slaves, for whose future as free citizens he campaigned. In 1865 he was elected to the US Senate, but not admitted there because the state of Mississippi was not yet a member of the Union again.

Governor and US Senator

In 1869, Alcorn was elected governor of his state. He took up his new office on March 10, 1870. The education system was improved during his reign. Among other things, an education committee was set up and the office of school minister was created. Alcorn was elected to the US Senate on January 18, 1870. His term of office was to begin on March 4, 1871. Alcorn preferred to continue serving as governor. On November 30, 1871, he resigned and took over his mandate in Washington , where he remained until March 3, 1877. In 1873 he unsuccessfully applied for a return to the office of governor. After his time in Congress , he returned to working as a lawyer at Friar Point. James Alcorn died in 1894 on his "Eagles Nest" plantation. He was married twice and had two children in total.

literature

  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Alcorn, James L.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alcorn, James Lusk (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 4, 1816
PLACE OF BIRTH Golconda , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH December 19, 1894
Place of death Friars Point , Mississippi