This author has contributed to the following articles in the Encyclopedia.Alcorn, James LuskJames L. Alcorn was Mississippi’s first elected Republican governor and the namesake of Alcorn County and Alcorn State University. Alcorn…Allain, William A.William Allain was born on 14 February 1928 in the Adams County community of Washington. He was educated at the…Ames, AdelbertWhen Gov. Benjamin G. Humphreys was removed from office on 15 June 1868, Pres. Andrew Johnson appointed Adelbert Ames provisional…Bailey, Thomas LowryBefore his election to the state’s highest office, Thomas L. Bailey served twenty-four years in the Mississippi House of Representatives,…Barnett, Ross RobertThe office of governor is the only public office Ross Barnett ever held and the only political office for which…Bilbo, Theodore GilmoreAlthough he was only five feet, two inches tall, Theodore G. Bilbo, in life as in legend, was a towering…Brandon, Gerard ChittocqueGerard C. Brandon was the first native Mississippian elected the state’s governor. He also held the state’s top office longer…Brown, Albert GallatinAlbert Gallatin Brown was Mississippi’s youngest and perhaps most popular antebellum governor. Following his reelection in 1845 by a very…Bryant, PhilPhil Bryant was elected governor of Mississippi in the November 2011 Republican landslide. In that historic election, Republicans won all…Coleman, James PlemonNot since George Poindexter (1820–22) had Mississippi had a governor with a broader range of political experience than James Plemon…Conner, Martin SennetDuring the depths of the worst depression in American history, Martin S. Conner was inaugurated as Mississippi’s governor on 19…EducationIn an 1802 address to the Mississippi Territory’s legislature, Gov. W. C. C. Claiborne spoke eloquently of the need for…Finch, Charles CliftonCliff Finch campaigned for governor in 1975 on the promise of more and better-paying jobs for Mississippians. To dramatize his…Flag, Mississippi StateMississippi has had two state flags, and both have been closely associated with the state’s Confederate history. Mississippi and most…Fordice, KirkIn 1991, having never before held public office, Kirk Fordice was elected Mississippi’s first Republican governor in 118 years. In…Guion, John IsaacOn 3 February 1851 authorities arrested Gov. John A. Quitman in Jackson and took him to New Orleans to be…Holmes, DavidWhen the constitutional convention met in July 1817 to draft Mississippi’s first constitution, David Holmes was named president of the…Humphreys, Benjamin GrubbFor five years after the Civil War, martial law and civil authority existed concurrently in Mississippi. That phenomenon created a…Johnson, Paul B., Jr.When Paul Burney Johnson Jr. was inaugurated as Mississippi’s fifty-fourth governor on 21 January 1964, he became the only son…Johnson, Paul B., Sr.During his unsuccessful 1931 and 1935 races for the Mississippi governorship, Paul Burney Johnson Sr. called himself the Champion of…Leake, WalterAlthough his term began on 7 January 1822, Gov. Walter Leake did not deliver his inaugural address until 24 June…Longino, Andrew HoustonAndrew Longino was the first governor elected after the Civil War who was not a Confederate veteran, and he was…Lowry, RobertRobert Lowry occupied the office of governor for eight years and was Mississippi’s first governor to remain in office for…Lynch, CharlesCharles Lynch is one of the few men to have held office in all three branches of state government. He…Mabus, RayAlthough Ray Mabus was the youngest governor in America at the time of his inauguration on 12 January 1988, he…Matthews, Joseph W.Joseph Warren Matthews was a plain and unlettered frontiersman who lacked the flair for oratory that many Mississippians expected from…McLaurin, Anselm JosephAnselm McLaurin, the oldest of eight brothers and the father of ten children, was the last Confederate veteran elected governor…McNutt, Alexander G.When Gov. Alexander Gallatin McNutt was inaugurated in January 1838, Mississippi was entering a period of severe economic depression that…McRae, John J.Known to his friends and followers as Johnny McRae of Chickasawhay, John J. McRae sailed his steamer Triumph up and…McWillie, WilliamWilliam McWillie migrated to Mississippi from South Carolina, but unlike many antebellum migrants, he did not come during his early…Murphree, DennisDennis Herron Murphree served as Mississippi’s governor on two separate occasions but was never elected to the office. Murphree won…Musgrove, RonnieAfter serving in the Mississippi State Senate from 1988 to 1996 and as lieutenant governor from 1996 to 2000, Democrat…Noel, Edmond FavorShortly before Gov. Edmond F. Noel’s inauguration on 21 January 1908, several Jackson businessmen recommended the sale of the Governor’s…Pettus, John JonesJohn Jones Pettus served the shortest term as governor in the state’s history—five days beginning with the resignation of Henry…Poindexter, GeorgeA contemporary historian wrote that the history of George Poindexter’s public career is “the history of the Territory and the…Powers, Ridgley CeylonWhen Col. Ridgley C. Powers was discharged from the US Army in December 1865, he decided to remain in Mississippi…Quitman, John AnthonyJohn Anthony Quitman was born in Rhinebeck, New York, on 1 September 1798. His father, Frederick Quitman, a Lutheran minister,…Runnels, Hiram G.In 1831 Hiram Runnels lost the office of governor by the narrowest margin in Mississippi history, 247 votes. Two years…Russell, Lee MauriceWhile a student at the University of Mississippi, Lee Russell was a leader in the movement to abolish fraternities. Later,…Scott, Abram M.Abram Scott was involved in two of the three closest elections for governor in the state’s history. In 1831 he…Sharkey, William LewisFollowing the arrest and imprisonment of Gov. Charles Clark in May 1865, Mississippi was for the third time without a…Stone, John MarshallJohn Marshall Stone, who was inaugurated as governor on three separate occasions and served as governor longer than any other…Tucker, Tilghman M.Tilghman Mayfield Tucker and his first wife, Sarah F. McBee Tucker, were the first residents of the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion,…Vardaman, James K.In 1903, for the first time, the people of Mississippi nominated the candidates for all public offices, from the governor…Waller, William LoweIn the early 1970s, after the civil rights movement had brought enormous changes to the South, a group of young…White, Hugh LawsonHugh Lawson White was perhaps the wealthiest man to hold the office of governor in the state’s history, certainly in…Whitfield, Henry LewisAlthough Henry Lewis Whitfield served as the state’s governor from 1924 to 1928, he is perhaps best known for his…Whitfield, JamesJames Whitfield became Mississippi’s governor under unusual circumstances and served for only about six weeks. Born in Elbert County, Georgia,…Williams, John BellJohn Bell Williams’s political career took an unusual route to the office of governor. Most politicians first run for state…Winter, William ForrestFor all of William Winter’s many contributions to the state of Mississippi, he will be most remembered for the Education…Wright, Fielding L.When the Democratic Party nominated Harry S. Truman and adopted a strong civil rights platform in 1948, southern Democrats organized…
Alcorn, James LuskJames L. Alcorn was Mississippi’s first elected Republican governor and the namesake of Alcorn County and Alcorn State University. Alcorn…
Allain, William A.William Allain was born on 14 February 1928 in the Adams County community of Washington. He was educated at the…
Ames, AdelbertWhen Gov. Benjamin G. Humphreys was removed from office on 15 June 1868, Pres. Andrew Johnson appointed Adelbert Ames provisional…
Bailey, Thomas LowryBefore his election to the state’s highest office, Thomas L. Bailey served twenty-four years in the Mississippi House of Representatives,…
Barnett, Ross RobertThe office of governor is the only public office Ross Barnett ever held and the only political office for which…
Bilbo, Theodore GilmoreAlthough he was only five feet, two inches tall, Theodore G. Bilbo, in life as in legend, was a towering…
Brandon, Gerard ChittocqueGerard C. Brandon was the first native Mississippian elected the state’s governor. He also held the state’s top office longer…
Brown, Albert GallatinAlbert Gallatin Brown was Mississippi’s youngest and perhaps most popular antebellum governor. Following his reelection in 1845 by a very…
Bryant, PhilPhil Bryant was elected governor of Mississippi in the November 2011 Republican landslide. In that historic election, Republicans won all…
Coleman, James PlemonNot since George Poindexter (1820–22) had Mississippi had a governor with a broader range of political experience than James Plemon…
Conner, Martin SennetDuring the depths of the worst depression in American history, Martin S. Conner was inaugurated as Mississippi’s governor on 19…
EducationIn an 1802 address to the Mississippi Territory’s legislature, Gov. W. C. C. Claiborne spoke eloquently of the need for…
Finch, Charles CliftonCliff Finch campaigned for governor in 1975 on the promise of more and better-paying jobs for Mississippians. To dramatize his…
Flag, Mississippi StateMississippi has had two state flags, and both have been closely associated with the state’s Confederate history. Mississippi and most…
Fordice, KirkIn 1991, having never before held public office, Kirk Fordice was elected Mississippi’s first Republican governor in 118 years. In…
Guion, John IsaacOn 3 February 1851 authorities arrested Gov. John A. Quitman in Jackson and took him to New Orleans to be…
Holmes, DavidWhen the constitutional convention met in July 1817 to draft Mississippi’s first constitution, David Holmes was named president of the…
Humphreys, Benjamin GrubbFor five years after the Civil War, martial law and civil authority existed concurrently in Mississippi. That phenomenon created a…
Johnson, Paul B., Jr.When Paul Burney Johnson Jr. was inaugurated as Mississippi’s fifty-fourth governor on 21 January 1964, he became the only son…
Johnson, Paul B., Sr.During his unsuccessful 1931 and 1935 races for the Mississippi governorship, Paul Burney Johnson Sr. called himself the Champion of…
Leake, WalterAlthough his term began on 7 January 1822, Gov. Walter Leake did not deliver his inaugural address until 24 June…
Longino, Andrew HoustonAndrew Longino was the first governor elected after the Civil War who was not a Confederate veteran, and he was…
Lowry, RobertRobert Lowry occupied the office of governor for eight years and was Mississippi’s first governor to remain in office for…
Lynch, CharlesCharles Lynch is one of the few men to have held office in all three branches of state government. He…
Mabus, RayAlthough Ray Mabus was the youngest governor in America at the time of his inauguration on 12 January 1988, he…
Matthews, Joseph W.Joseph Warren Matthews was a plain and unlettered frontiersman who lacked the flair for oratory that many Mississippians expected from…
McLaurin, Anselm JosephAnselm McLaurin, the oldest of eight brothers and the father of ten children, was the last Confederate veteran elected governor…
McNutt, Alexander G.When Gov. Alexander Gallatin McNutt was inaugurated in January 1838, Mississippi was entering a period of severe economic depression that…
McRae, John J.Known to his friends and followers as Johnny McRae of Chickasawhay, John J. McRae sailed his steamer Triumph up and…
McWillie, WilliamWilliam McWillie migrated to Mississippi from South Carolina, but unlike many antebellum migrants, he did not come during his early…
Murphree, DennisDennis Herron Murphree served as Mississippi’s governor on two separate occasions but was never elected to the office. Murphree won…
Musgrove, RonnieAfter serving in the Mississippi State Senate from 1988 to 1996 and as lieutenant governor from 1996 to 2000, Democrat…
Noel, Edmond FavorShortly before Gov. Edmond F. Noel’s inauguration on 21 January 1908, several Jackson businessmen recommended the sale of the Governor’s…
Pettus, John JonesJohn Jones Pettus served the shortest term as governor in the state’s history—five days beginning with the resignation of Henry…
Poindexter, GeorgeA contemporary historian wrote that the history of George Poindexter’s public career is “the history of the Territory and the…
Powers, Ridgley CeylonWhen Col. Ridgley C. Powers was discharged from the US Army in December 1865, he decided to remain in Mississippi…
Quitman, John AnthonyJohn Anthony Quitman was born in Rhinebeck, New York, on 1 September 1798. His father, Frederick Quitman, a Lutheran minister,…
Runnels, Hiram G.In 1831 Hiram Runnels lost the office of governor by the narrowest margin in Mississippi history, 247 votes. Two years…
Russell, Lee MauriceWhile a student at the University of Mississippi, Lee Russell was a leader in the movement to abolish fraternities. Later,…
Scott, Abram M.Abram Scott was involved in two of the three closest elections for governor in the state’s history. In 1831 he…
Sharkey, William LewisFollowing the arrest and imprisonment of Gov. Charles Clark in May 1865, Mississippi was for the third time without a…
Stone, John MarshallJohn Marshall Stone, who was inaugurated as governor on three separate occasions and served as governor longer than any other…
Tucker, Tilghman M.Tilghman Mayfield Tucker and his first wife, Sarah F. McBee Tucker, were the first residents of the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion,…
Vardaman, James K.In 1903, for the first time, the people of Mississippi nominated the candidates for all public offices, from the governor…
Waller, William LoweIn the early 1970s, after the civil rights movement had brought enormous changes to the South, a group of young…
White, Hugh LawsonHugh Lawson White was perhaps the wealthiest man to hold the office of governor in the state’s history, certainly in…
Whitfield, Henry LewisAlthough Henry Lewis Whitfield served as the state’s governor from 1924 to 1928, he is perhaps best known for his…
Whitfield, JamesJames Whitfield became Mississippi’s governor under unusual circumstances and served for only about six weeks. Born in Elbert County, Georgia,…
Williams, John BellJohn Bell Williams’s political career took an unusual route to the office of governor. Most politicians first run for state…
Winter, William ForrestFor all of William Winter’s many contributions to the state of Mississippi, he will be most remembered for the Education…
Wright, Fielding L.When the Democratic Party nominated Harry S. Truman and adopted a strong civil rights platform in 1948, southern Democrats organized…