John Morgan Stevens (May 27, 1876 – November 7, 1951) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1915 to 1920.
J. Morgan Stevens | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi | |
| In office May 27, 1915 – September 19, 1920 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 27, 1876 Old Augusta, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | November 7, 1951 (aged 75) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Children | 7 |
Early life
editJohn Morgan Stevens was born on May 27, 1876, in Old Augusta, Mississippi.[1][2] He was the son of Benjamin Stevens, a Captain in the Confederate States Army, and Lorena Annette (Breland) Stevens.[1] Stevens attended the public schools of Augusta, and then attended Millsaps College.[1] He graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B. A. in 1898 as the valedictorian of his class.[1]
Career
editStevens passed the Mississippi State Bar Examination, and then moved to Lexington, Mississippi, where he formed a law firm with L. M. Southworth.[1] He moved to Hattiesburg in 1901, and formed a law partnership with his brother, H. Stuart Stevens.[1] In 1912, Stevens was appointed to be the Chancellor of Mississippi's 8th District.[1] After the Elective Judiciary Act was passed by the Mississippi Legislature in 1914, Stevens was put into an election for that office, which he won.[1] On May 27, 1915, Stevens was appointed to a full term to the Mississippi Supreme Court by Governor Earl Brewer.[1][2] Stevens resigned from the Court on September 19, 1920.[3][2] After leaving the Court, Stevens continued practicing law, joining the Wells, Stevens, and Jones law firm in Jackson, Mississippi.[2] In 1929, Stevens was chosen to be a member of a committee to recodify all of Mississippi's laws.[4] In 1930, Stevens founded a law firm, known as Stevens and Stevens, with his son, John Morgan Stevens, Jr.[2] After the younger Stevens' death in 1946, the firm became known as Stevens and Cannada.[4]
Personal life and death
editStevens married Ethel Featherstun on June 7, 1905.[1][4] They had seven children, named John Morgan Jr. (1906 or 1907- 1946),[1][5] Emily White (Stevens) McLachlan (1908-?),[1][4][6] Joseph Johnston (1909-1911),[7] Stuart Featherstun (died 1922),[1][8] Ethelwyn Featherstun (Stevens) Hart (1915-2009),[1][4][9][10] Phineas Nicholas (1917-2016),[11][12] and Francis Bigelow (1921-2008).[4][13][12] Stevens died on November 7, 1951, at 2 PM, at the Baptist Hospital in Jackson.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. pp. 535–536.
- ^ a b c d e f "Stevens, John Morgan, Judge - Obituary 1951, part 1". Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1925). History of Mississippi, the Heart of the South. S. J. Clarke publishing Company. p. 452.
- ^ a b c d e f "Obituary for Judee Stevens". Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Obituary for J. Morgan Stevens (Aged 39)". Clarion-Ledger. July 26, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "MacLachlan, Emily S. (Emily Stevens), 1908- - Civil Rights Digital Library". crdl.usg.edu. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Obituary for Joseph Johnston Stevens". Hattiesburg Daily News. May 8, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Stuart Stevens". Jackson Daily News. June 10, 1922. p. 3. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Ethelwyn F Hart in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Obituary for Ethelwyn Hart (Aged 93)". Clarion-Ledger. May 10, 2009. p. 15. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Phineas Stevens Obituary". Clarion-Ledger. December 18, 2016. pp. A13. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 896.
- ^ "Obituary for Francis B. Stevens, 1921-2008 (Aged 87)". Clarion-Ledger. September 5, 2008. p. 15. Retrieved August 30, 2022.