Rufus E. Lester

Rufus E. Lester

Rufus Ezekiel Lester (born December 12, 1837 in Waynesboro , Burke County , Georgia , †  June 16, 1906 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1889 and 1906 he represented the state of Georgia in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Rufus Lester studied at Mercer University in Macon until 1857 . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1859, he began to work in his new profession. During the Civil War he served in the army of the Confederacy . After the war, Lester returned to practice as a lawyer. At the same time he began a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1870 and 1879 he was a member of the State Senate , which he served as President from 1876. Lester was Mayor of Savannah from 1883 to 1889 .

In the congressional election of 1888 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington in the first constituency of Georgia, where he succeeded Thomas M. Norwood on March 4, 1889 . After eight re-elections, he could remain in Congress until his death on June 16, 1906 . During this time the Spanish-American War fell . At that time the Philippines and Hawaii came under American administration. From 1891 to 1895, Lester was chairman of the State Department's Expenditure Control Committee.

Rufus Lester was married to Laura Eliza Hines (1839-1920). He was buried in Savannah.

Web links

• Rufus E. Lester in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Rufus E. Lester in the database of Find a Grave (English)