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.
George M. Govan | |
|---|---|
 c. 1884 | |
| 27th Secretary of State of Mississippi | |
| In office January 14, 1886 – January 20, 1896 | |
| Governor | Robert Lowry John Marshall Stone |
| Preceded by | Henry C. Myers |
| Succeeded by | John Logan Power |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the Pike County district | |
| In office January 1884 – January 1886 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 30, 1840 Marshall County, MS |
| Died | April 14, 1899 (aged 58) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse | Jane Edmondson (m. 1865) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent | Andrew R. Govan (father) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States 1861-1865  United States 1898 |
| Branch/service | Army |
| Years of service | 1861-1865, 1898 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Civil War Spanish-American War |
Early life
editGeorge 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.[1] He was a first lieutenant, and later, a major, for the Confederacy in the Civil War.[1][3] After the war, he returned to Marshall County to farm.[3]
Political career
editHe was the clerk of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1876 to 1878.[4][1] In 1884, Govan was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing Pike County.[1][4] 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.[4][5] He was re-elected in 1889 and was re-inaugurated in 1890.[5] The Mississippi Constitutional Convention of 1890 increased his term length from four to six years, making ten years of office in total.[5] Govan was succeeded in the office by John Logan Power on January 20, 1896.[4][5]
Later life
editIn spring 1898, he was commissioned colonel of the First Mississippi Volunteers during the Spanish-American War.[1] He served until later in that same year.[1] He died in a hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 14, 1899.[3][6]
Personal life
editGovan married Jane B. Edmondson in Elyton, Alabama, on February 26, 1865.[2] They had three children together: Andrew R., Eliza, and John H.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Southern Historical Publishing Association.
- ^ a b c 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. Goodspeed. 1891. pp. 798–799.
- ^ a b c "The Vicksburg Herald from Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 15, 1899 · 1". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History.
- ^ a b c d Mississippi (1900). Department Reports. p. 179.
- ^ "The McComb City Enterprise from McComb, Mississippi on April 20, 1899 · 1". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.