George M. Govan Explained

Office:Secretary of State of Mississippi
Termstart:January 14, 1886
Termend:January 20, 1896
Order:27th
Governor:Robert Lowry
John Marshall Stone
Predecessor:Henry C. Myers
Successor:John Logan Power
Birth Date:30 October 1840
Birth Place:Marshall County, MS
Death Place:New Orleans, Louisiana
Allegiance: 1861-1865
1898
Battles:Civil War
Spanish-American War
Rank:Colonel
Branch:Army
Serviceyears:1861-1865, 1898
Parents:Andrew R. Govan (father)
State House1:Mississippi
Termstart1:January 1884
Termend1:January 1886
District1:Pike County
Party:Democrat
Spouse:Jane Edmondson (m. 1865)
Children:3

George Morgan Govan (October 30, 1840 - April 14, 1899) was an American military officer and Democratic politician from Mississippi. He was the 27th Secretary of State of Mississippi, serving from 1886 to 1896.

Early life

George Morgan Govan was born on October 30, 1840, in Marshall County, Mississippi.[1] [2] He was the son of Andrew R. Govan, who was born in Holly Springs, South Carolina and member of the United States House of Representatives. He was a first lieutenant, and later, a major, for the Confederacy in the Civil War.[3] After the war, he returned to Marshall County to farm.

Political career

He was the clerk of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1876 to 1878.[4] In 1884, Govan was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing Pike County. Govan was elected to be the Secretary of State of Mississippi as a Democrat in 1885 for the 1886–1890 term and was inaugurated on January 14, 1886.[5] He was re-elected in 1889 and was re-inaugurated in 1890. The Mississippi Constitutional Convention of 1890 increased his term length from four to six years, making ten years of office in total. Govan was succeeded in the office by John Logan Power on January 20, 1896.

Later life

In spring 1898, he was commissioned colonel of the First Mississippi Volunteers during the Spanish-American War. He served until later in that same year. He died in a hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 14, 1899.[6]

Personal life

Govan married Jane B. Edmondson in Elyton, Alabama, on February 26, 1865. They had three children together: Andrew R., Eliza, and John H.

References

  1. Book: Rowland, Dunbar. Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. 1907. Southern Historical Publishing Association. en.
  2. Book: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi: Embracing an Authentic and Comprehensive Account of the Chief Events in the History of the State and a Record of the Lives of Many of the Most Worthy and Illustrious Families and Individuals. 1891. Goodspeed. 798–799. en.
  3. Web site: The Vicksburg Herald from Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 15, 1899 · 1. 2021-04-30. Newspapers.com. en.
  4. Book: Rowland, Dunbar. The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. 1917. Department of Archives and History. en.
  5. Book: Mississippi. Department Reports. 1900. 179. en.
  6. Web site: The McComb City Enterprise from McComb, Mississippi on April 20, 1899 · 1. 2021-04-30. Newspapers.com. en.