A. Jeff McLemore

Atkins Jefferson McLemore (March 13, 1857 - March 4, 1929) was an American newspaper publisher, State Representative and United States Representative from Texas.

Early life

McLemore was born on a farm near Spring Hill, Tennessee on March 13, 1857. He was educated in local schools and by private tutors. McLemore moved to Texas in 1878 and was employed as a cowboy, printer, and newspaper reporter, and later as a miner in Colorado and Mexico.^[1] He returned to Texas and settled in San Antonio working primarily in the newspaper business in Kyle, Texas.

Political career

McLemore moved to Corpus Christi in 1889 and established the Gulf News and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, serving from 1892-1896.^[2] He later moved to Austin where he was elected to the Board of Aldermen for one term. McLemore was elected Secretary of the Democratic State executive committee from 1900-1904. In 1903, he founded a weekly magazine entitled State Topics, which eventually became Texas Monthly Review and State Topics.^[2] McLemore relocated once again, this time to Houston in 1911 where he again engaged in the newspaper publishing business. In 1915, he was elected as a Democrat to Congress representing one of the state's two At-Large districts serving two terms from March 4, 1915 to March 3, 1919. McLemore was an ardent opponent of America's entry into World War I, a position he believed he held in common with President Woodrow Wilson who campaigned for reelection on the slogan "He kept us out of war". Less than 90 days after his election to a second term in 1916, President Wilson called on Congress to declare war on Germany.^[3] When McLemore became a strident opponent of the president, the Democrat-dominated Texas legislature redrew the state's congressional districts to eliminate McLemore's statewide at-large district, and drew 18 districts,^[4] forcing McLemore into the same district with fellow Houston incumbents Joe H. Eagle and Daniel E. Garrett in the 8th District. Garrett bowed out of the contest, and Eagle defeated McLemore.

Life after Congress

In 1919, McLemore moved from Houston to Hebbronville, and he resumed the newspaper publishing business in south Texas, eventually residing in Laredo. In 1928, McLemore made one more run for public office for an open U.S. Senate seat, but was defeated by Thomas T. Connally. McLemore died in Laredo on March 4, 1929 (the day after he would have taken office if he had won the Senate race). He is interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.^[5]

References