Anselm J. McLaurin

Anselm J. McLaurin
United States Senator
from Mississippi
In office
February 7, 1894 – March 4, 1895
Preceded by Edward C. Walthall
Succeeded by Edward C. Walthall
In office
March 4, 1901 – December 22, 1909
Preceded by William V. Sullivan
Succeeded by James Gordon
Personal details
Born Anselm Joseph McLaurin
March 26, 1848(1848-03-26)
Brandon, Mississippi, United States
Died December 22, 1909(1909-12-22) (aged 61)
Brandon, Mississippi, United States
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Laura Elvira Rauch[1]

Anselm Joseph McLaurin (March 26, 1848 – December 22, 1909) was the Governor of Mississippi.

Contents

Biography

McLaurin was born on March 26, 1848 in Brandon, Mississippi to Ellen Caroline Tullus and Lauchlin McLaurin III. He married Laura Elvira Rauch and had a daughter, Stella May McLaurin.

He became district attorney at age 21 and was described as "one of the foremost lawyers in the State". He participated in the convention for the writing of the Mississippi Constitution in 1890 and was described as a free-coinage man.[2] A Democrat, he served briefly in the U.S. Senate from 1894 to 1895. He became the first Governor of Mississippi to be elected under the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, serving from 1896 to 1900. McLaurin returned to the Senate in 1901 after being elected in 1900; he was re-elected in 1906.

He died of heart disease on December 22, 1909 at his home in Brandon, Mississippi while in a rocking chair sitting in front of his fireplace at age 61.[3]

Legacy

Through his daughter, Stella May McLaurin, he is the great-great-grandfather of American actor and comedian Robin Williams.[4]

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "A.J. McLaurin Nominated to be Senator from Mississippi". The New York Times. February 7, 1894. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FA0813F83B5515738DDDAE0894DA405B8485F0D3. Retrieved 2012-01-01. "... one of the foremost lawyers in the State ... District Attorney when twenty-one ... member of the Constitutional Convention of 1890 ... free-coinage man" 
  3. ^ "Senator M'Laurin Dies at Fireside. Seized with Heart Disease While in a Rocking Chair in His Mississippi Home. Fought For South At 18. Afterward Studied Law on Farm, and Rose Rapidly in Politics. His Work on Senate Committees". New York Times. December 23, 1909. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05E7DF1730E733A25750C2A9649D946897D6CF. Retrieved 2010-03-23. "United States Senator Anselm Joseph McLaurin died suddenly to-night of heart disease at his home in Brandon, Miss. The fatal attack seized Senator McLaurin while he was seated in a rocking chair in front of the fireplace in his library. He fell forward without speaking a word, and life was extinct when members of his family reached his side. ..." 
  4. ^ Williams' mother's obituary attests to this fact (San Francisco Chronicle, September 8, 2001).

External links

United States Senate
Preceded by
Edward C. Walthall
United States Senator (Class 2) from Mississippi
1894–1895
Served alongside: James Z. George
Succeeded by
Edward C. Walthall
Political offices
Preceded by
John M. Stone
Governor of Mississippi
1896-1900
Succeeded by
Andrew H. Longino