William Washington Larsen (August 12, 1871 – January 5, 1938) 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 ...

from Georgia.

Personal life

Larsen was born in

Hagan, Georgia Hagan is a city in Evans County, Georgia, Evans County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 996 at the 2010 census, up from 898 in 2000. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place as the City of Hagan ...

. He attended the Bryan Institute in

Lanier, Georgia Lanier is an unincorporated community in Bryan County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located about 4 miles east of Pembroke, Georgia Pembroke is a city and county seat in Bryan County, Georgia, Bryan County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...

, the South Georgia Military Academy in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany, Georgia, Albany. The city deems itself the "C ...

, and the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

; however, he did not graduate. He taught school in 1895, studied law, gained admittance to the state bar in 1897 and became a practicing attorney in Swainsboro, Georgia. He served as a second lieutenant in the Swainsboro Guards, Company C, of the Georgia National Guard from 1900 to 1904. In 1899, Larsen became the prosecuting attorney for the city court of Swainsboro and remained in that position through 1905. He also was a member of the council and mayor ''

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...

'' of Swainsboro from 1905 to 1909. In 1912, he joined the board of trustees of the Georgia State Normal School in Athens and remained on that board until 1927. He served as a delegate to the 1902, 1906 and 1912 Democratic State conventions. After serving as the secretary of the executive department of the state of Georgia from 1910 to 1912, Larsen moved to

Dublin, Georgia Dublin is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,074. It is the county seat of Laurens County. History The original settlement was named after Dublin, Ireland. Dublin, accordi ...

in January 1912. He began practicing law again and was involved in farming. He became a judge of the superior courts of the Dublin circuit in 1914 and 1915.

Professional life

In 1916, Larsen was elected 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

65th United States Congress The 65th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917, to ...

representing

Georgia's 12th congressional district Georgia's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is represented by Republican Rick Allen. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional con ...

. He was reelected to that position for seven additional terms and did not seek reelection in 1932 as the 12th district became defunct after

congressional apportionment United States congressional apportionment is the process by which seats in the United States House of Representatives are distributed among the 50 states according to the most recent decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. ...

reduced Georgia's number of seats in the U.S. House from twelve to ten. Larsen joined the board of trustees of the University of Georgia in 1927, continued to serve as the board transitioned to the Georgia Board of Regents on January 1, 1932, and remained on that board through 1938. He was a regional manager for the Farm Credit Administration headquarters in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

from 1933 until his resignation in 1936. He won an appointment to the Georgia Unemployment Insurance Commission in 1937 and served until his death in Dublin on January 5, 1938. He was buried in that city's Northview Cemetery.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, William Washington 1871 births 1938 deaths People from Evans County, Georgia Georgia National Guard personnel University of Georgia alumni Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Burials in Georgia (U.S. state) People from Thomasville, Georgia People from Swainsboro, Georgia People from Dublin, Georgia