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 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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 |
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.[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
He 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
In 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
Govan 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
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Southern Historical Publishing Association.
- 1 2 3 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.
- 1 2 3 "The Vicksburg Herald from Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 15, 1899 · 1". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History.
- 1 2 3 4 Mississippi (1900). Department Reports. p. 179.
- ↑ "The McComb City Enterprise from McComb, Mississippi on April 20, 1899 · 1". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.