Joseph W. McClurg

Joseph Washington McClurg (born February 22, 1818 in St. Louis County , Missouri , † December 2, 1900 in London , Missouri) was an American politician and from 1869 to 1871 the 19th governor of Missouri. He also represented this state in the US House of Representatives -

Early years

McClurg attended Xenia Academy in Ohio and then Oxford College in Ohio . While teaching in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana , he also studied law. Eventually he moved to Columbus , Texas , where he was admitted to the bar. He also began to practice there. In 1840 he got a job as a clerk at the District Court in Columbus.

Political rise

McClurg returned to Missouri in 1841. There he worked in trade; in 1837 he became a sheriff in St. Louis County. In 1850 he followed the gold rush for two years and went to California . He then returned to Missouri, where he acted as a trader in delivering goods to settlers passing through. Politically, McClurg was an opponent of slavery and joined the new Republican Party . From 1861 to 1863 he was a member of the Union-loyal Missouri legislature. At the same time he was a colonel in the Union Army until he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1863. He stayed there between 1863 and 1868. As a colonel, he set up a volunteer regiment during the civil war . On November 3, 1868, he was elected the new governor of his state: With 56.7 percent of the vote, he prevailed against the Democrat John S. Phelps .

Missouri governor

Joseph McClurg took up his new office on January 12, 1869. An immigration committee was established in Missouri during his tenure. Two new schools were built and the state constitution was amended to reduce the governor's term of office from four to two years. At that time both a state mining school and an agricultural school were established. In 1870, McClurg ran unsuccessfully for re-election. Therefore, he had to resign on January 4, 1871 from his office.

After the end of his tenure, McClurg largely withdrew from politics. He devoted himself to his own business interests, which now included steam boats and lead mines. Between 1890 and 1894 he was employed by the Springfield Land Authority. Joseph McClurg died on December 2, 1900. He was married to Mary Johnson, with whom he had eight children.

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personal data
SURNAME	McClurg, Joseph W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	McClurg, Joseph Washington (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	February 22, 1818
PLACE OF BIRTH	St. Louis County , Missouri
DATE OF DEATH	December 2, 1900
Place of death	London , Missouri