John N. Heiskell

John Netherland Heiskell
United States Senator
from Arkansas
In office
January 6, 1913  January 29, 1913
Preceded by Jeff Davis
Succeeded by William M. Kavanaugh
Personal details
Born November 2, 1872
Rogersville, Tennessee
Died December 28, 1972 (aged 100)
Little Rock, Arkansas
Political party Democratic

John Netherland Heiskell (November 2, 1872 – December 28, 1972) was the second U.S. Senator to reach the age of 100. He served as Senator from Arkansas for a period of just 23 days, from January 6 to January 29, 1913. He was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of then Senator Jeff Davis.

Heiskell was a publisher by trade. He owned and edited the Arkansas Gazette from 1902 until his death. The paper garnered two Pulitzer Prizes (one for Meritorious Public Service in 1958) under his editorship. In 1958, Heiskell received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College. He was also President of Gazette Publishing Co..

Despite his short time in the Senate, Heiskell's longevity eventually made him, not only the oldest living former Senator, but also the last surviving person to have been a Senator in the 1910s.

Heiskell was a grandson of two prominent Tennessee politicians, John Netherland and Frederick Heiskell.[1][2]

References

  1. Marvin Byrd, A Unionist in East Tennessee: Captain William K. Byrd and the Mysterious Raid of 1861 (The History Press, 2011), pp. 87, 137.
  2. Nathania Sawyer and John Thompson, "John Netherland Heiskell," Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, 2012. Retrieved: 26 April 2013.

External links

United States Senate
Preceded by
Jeff Davis
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Arkansas
January 6, 1913January 29, 1913
Served alongside: James Clarke
Succeeded by
William M. Kavanaugh
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Henry Ashurst
Most Senior Living U.S. Senator
(Sitting or Former)

January 5, 1960 – December 28, 1972
Succeeded by
Burton K. Wheeler
and Clarence Dill
Preceded by
Theodore Green
Oldest living U.S. Senator
May 19, 1966 – December 28, 1972
Succeeded by
George Radcliffe