William Aylmer Winter (March 22, 1872 - March 12, 1952) was a farmer and a Democratic Mississippi state legislator from

Grenada County Grenada County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi between Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi. As reported by the 2019 United States Census Bureau, the population was 20,758. Its county seat is Grenada. The county was named for th ...

in the early-to-mid 20th century. He was also the father of the Mississippi governor William Forrest Winter.

Early life

William Aylmer Winter was born on March 22, 1872, in

Grenada County, Mississippi Grenada County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi between Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi. As reported by the 2019 United States Census Bureau, the population was 20,758. Its county seat is Grenada. The county was named for th ...

. He was the son of William Brown Winter and Amelia (Fisher) Winter. He went to the private and public schools of

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

and Tallahatchie counties. He graduated from the

Iuka Normal Institute Iuka Normal Institute (also called Iuka Normal School) was a normal school founded in Iuka, Mississippi in 1882, reportedly the first normal school built south of the Mason–Dixon line. It operated as a day school and boarding school, offering cla ...

with an A. B. in 1891. He was a farmer.

Political career

Winter was elected to represent

in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

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 ...

for the first time in 1915 for the 1916-1920 term. He was re-elected in 1919 and served in the 1920-1924 term. He then was in the Mississippi Senate, representing the 28th district, from 1924 to 1928, from 1932 to 1936, and from 1940 to 1944. Finally, he was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing Montgomery and Grenada counties as a floater representative.

Later life

Winter died on March 12, 1952.

Personal life

Winter was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. He married schoolteacher Inez Parker on March 2, 1921, in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Their son and only child, William Forrest Winter, became the governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter, William Aylmer 1872 births 1952 deaths People from Grenada, Mississippi Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic Party Mississippi state senators

William Aylmer William Aylmer (1778–1820) was an Irish military officer and member of United Irishmen who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. On 19 June 1798, Aylmer fought in the Battle of Ovidstown against British Crown forces, which resulted in a d ...