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
34th Governor of Mississippi
In office January 20, 1896 – January 16, 1900
Lieutenant	J. H. Jones
Preceded by	John M. Stone
Succeeded by	Andrew H. Longino
Personal details
Born	Anselm Joseph McLaurin March 26, 1848 Brandon, Mississippi, United States
Died	December 22, 1909 (aged 61) Brandon, Mississippi, United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Laura Elvira Victoria Rauch[1][2]

Anselm Joseph McLaurin (March 26, 1848 – December 22, 1909) was the 34th Governor of Mississippi, serving from 1896 to 1900.

Life and career

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

Legacy

His great-great-grandson was actor and comedian Robin Williams.^[5]

References

1. Cecil L. Sumners (1999). The Governors of Mississippi. Pelican Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-56554-503-8.
2. The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi, 1908, Pg. 977; "He [Anselm J. McLaurin] was married at Trenton, Miss., February 22, 1870, to Laura Elvira Victoria Rauch, daughter of John Rauch and wife, Epsilon Rauch, of Trenton, Miss. Mrs. McLaurin's paternal ancestors immigrated to America from Germany; maternal from England and Germany."
3. "A.J. McLaurin Nominated to be Senator from Mississippi". The New York Times. February 7, 1894. 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
4. "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. 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. ...
5. Phillip, Abby (August 12, 2014). "Robin Williams brought a punchline to the political fight". The Washington Post.

External links

• Anselm J. McLaurin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress