George Cosson (21 January 1876 – 15 June 1963) was an American politician. Born in

Laclede County, Missouri Laclede County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,571. Its county seat is Lebanon. The county was organized February 24, 1849, and was named after Pierre Laclède, founder of St. Lo ...

, on 21 January 1876, Cosson attended school in

Manning, Iowa Manning is a city in Carroll County, Iowa, United States, along Iowa Highway 141. The population was 1,455 at the time of the 2020 census. It is named for Orlando Harrison Manning, a Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. History Prior to the city's f ...

, and subsequently enrolled at Normal School at Valparaiso and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

. He began working for Milwaukee Road as a station agent and operator between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Upon graduating from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States by the '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best Law Sch ...

in June 1898, Cosson moved to

Audubon The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such org ...

and began practicing law. Starting in 1904, Cosson served a single term as Audubon County attorney. In June 1907, he was appointed special counsel of Iowa, reporting to the state's attorney general, Howard Webster Byers. Cosson won the 1908 Iowa Senate election as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate, and represented District 17 until 1911. He succeeded Byers as Attorney General of Iowa later that year, and served through 1917. He sought the Republican nomination for Iowa's 1916 gubernatorial election, losing to William L. Harding. Cosson contested the Republican nomination for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat held by Smith W. Brookhart in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

. Henry Field secured the nomination and lost the general election to

Richard L. Murphy Richard Louis Murphy (November 6, 1875July 16, 1936) of Dubuque, Iowa was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Iowa. Elected with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, as only the second Democratic Senator from Iowa elected since 1858, Murphy's s ...

. In 1961, Cosson moved to his daughter's home in Des Moines, and retired from the practice of law in August 1962. He died in Des Moines on 15 June 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosson, George American railroaders 1876 births People from Des Moines, Iowa University of Iowa College of Law alumni People from Carroll County, Iowa 1963 deaths Valparaiso University alumni District attorneys in Iowa Iowa Attorneys General 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party Iowa state senators People from Audubon, Iowa People from Laclede County, Missouri