James L. Alcorn

James Lusk Alcorn (* November 4, 1816 in Golconda, Pope County, Illinois, † December 19, 1894 in Friars Point, Mississippi ) was an American politician and 1870-1871 Governor of the State of Mississippi. Between 1871 and 1877 he represented his state in the U.S. Senate.

Early years

James Alcorn attended Cumberland College in Kentucky. Between 1839 and 1844 he was Deputy Sheriff in Livingston County. In 1843 he was elected for a period in the House of Representatives from Kentucky. After studying law and his 1844 was admitted as a lawyer, he moved to Delta in Panola County, Mississippi, where he worked in his new profession.

Political rise

James Alcorn was first a member of the Whigs. In the years 1846, 1856 and 1857, he sat in the House of Representatives from Mississippi. Between 1848 and 1854 he was also a member of the State Senate. In 1856 he applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Congress. In 1857 he refused an offered him a candidate for the governorship of Mississippi. For this he was Chairman of the 1858 dike Commission and therefore the actual founder of the modern dikes along the rivers of the State of Mississippi. 1861 Alcorn opposed the secession of his state. Nevertheless, he was during the Civil War brigadier general in the Army of the Confederate States. After that, he joined the Republican Party and represented their views also in terms of the former slaves for their future as a free citizen, he championed. In 1865 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, but were not admitted because the state of Mississippi was not yet a member of the Union.

Governor and U.S. Senator

In 1869, Alcorn was elected governor of his state. He took up his new post on March 10, 1870. During his reign, the education system has been improved. Among others, a Board of Education was launched and created the office of school minister. Already on January 18, 1870 Alcorn was elected to the U.S. Senate. His term was to begin on March 4, 1871. Alcorn but preferred, initially still continue to officiate as governor. On November 30, 1871, he resigned and then took over his position in Washington, where he remained until March 3, 1877. In 1873 he applied unsuccessfully for a return to the governorship. After his time in Congress, he again worked as a lawyer in Friar Point. James Alcorn died in 1894 at his plantation " Eagles Nest". He was married twice and had a total of two children.