John Lowndes McLaurin (May 9, 1860 – July 29, 1934) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from South Carolina. He was born in

Red Bluff, South Carolina Red Bluff is an unincorporated community, in Marlboro County, South Carolina, United States. Red Bluff Lake, also known as Red Bluff Pond, is in the area and is used for fishing. John L. McLaurin John Lowndes McLaurin (May 9, 1860 – July ...

, in

Marlboro County, South Carolina Marlboro County is a county located in the Pee Dee region on the northern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,667. Its county seat is Bennettsville. The Great Pee Dee River runs through it. M ...

and attended schools at

Bennettsville, South Carolina Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries—including ...

and

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from por ...

as well as

Bethel Military Academy Bethel Military Academy was a school near Warrenton, Virginia in Fauquier County. It operated from 1867 until 1911 and had several prominent alumni. The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill in 1901 incorporating the school. The bill included a r ...

(near

Warrenton, Virginia Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, of which it is the seat of government. The population was 9,611 at the 2010 census, up from 6,670 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2019 was 10,027. It is at the junction of U.S. R ...

) and

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

(in Pennsylvania.) He graduated from the Carolina Military Institute, studied law in the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1883 and practiced in Bennettsville. He was a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

in 1890-1891 and was

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

of the State from 1891 to 1892. And a time when

Benjamin Tillman Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death in 1918. A whit ...

was making demagogic appeals to the white working class, McLaurin became one of the first upper-class South Carolinians to support him. Tillman in 1892 pinned the nickname "Little Curly Headed Joe" that stuck for the remainder of McLaurin's life. McLaurin broke with Tillman in 1894 and they became bitter enemies. Tillman accused him of accepting bribes from the Textile industry, which led to the famous fistfight between the two on the Senate floor on 22 February 1902. Both men were censured. McLaurin was elected In 1892 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Eli T. Stackhouse Eli Thomas Stackhouse (March 27, 1824 – June 14, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina and an officer in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. Biography Stackhouse was born in Little Rock, ...

; he was reelected to the Fifty-third, Fifty-fourth, and Fifty-fifth Congresses and served from December 5, 1892, until May 31, 1897, when he resigned. He was appointed and subsequently elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Joseph H. Earle Joseph Haynsworth Earle (April 30, 1847May 20, 1897) was a United States Senate, United States Senator from South Carolina. Biography Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville, he attended private schools in Sumter, South Carolina, Sumter. ...

and served from June 1, 1897, to March 4, 1903; he was not a candidate for reelection. In Congress, he specialized in fiscal affairs. McLaurin practiced Law in New York City. He later returned to farming in Bennettsville and was Elected to the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sa ...

, 1914-1915. He was author of the State warehouse system for storing and financing cotton, and served as State warehouse commissioner from 1915 until his resignation in 1917. He died at his estate near Bennettsville in 1934; interment was in McCall Cemetery. His home, the

Robertson-Easterling-McLaurin House Robertson-Easterling-McLaurin House is a historic home located near Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina. It was built about 1790, and is a -story, timber frame I-house dwelling. It has a brick pier foundation and exterior gable end ch ...

, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984.

References

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McLaurin, John L. 1860 births 1934 deaths Censured or reprimanded United States senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Democratic Party United States senators from South Carolina Lawyers from New York City Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives People from Marlboro County, South Carolina Political violence in the United States South Carolina Attorneys General South Carolina lawyers Democratic Party South Carolina state senators Swarthmore College alumni

See also

References

External links