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Lee M. Russell

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For other people named Lee Russell, see Lee Russell (disambiguation).

Lee Maurice Russell
40th Governor of Mississippi
In office
January 20, 1920 – January 22, 1924
LieutenantHomer H. Casteel
Preceded byTheodore G. Bilbo
Succeeded byHenry L. Whitfield
18th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
In office
January 18, 1916 – January 20, 1920
GovernorTheodore G. Bilbo
Preceded byTheodore G. Bilbo
Succeeded byHomer H. Casteel
Member of the Mississippi State Senate
from the 32nd district
In office
January 1912 – January 1916
Preceded byRobert Aaron Dean
Succeeded byJames C. Eskridge
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
from the Lafayette County district
In office
January 1908 – January 1912
Personal details
Born(1875-11-16)November 16, 1875
Lafayette County, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 1943(1943-05-16) (aged 67)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEthel May Day
ProfessionLawyer

Lee Maurice Russell (November 16, 1875 – May 16, 1943) was an American politician from Mississippi.

He was born in Lafayette County, Mississippi, to William Eaton Russell and Louisa Jane (Mackey) Russell, and he later attended the University of Mississippi.[1][2] During his time as a student, he was the leader in a movement to abolish Greek fraternities.[1] Russell graduated from the university in 1901 and enrolled in the University of Mississippi School of Law. After completing the course, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Oxford, Mississippi.

Russell was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1907, representing Lafayette County from 1908 to 1912, and he was elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1911, representing the 32nd district from 1912 to 1916.[1][2] In 1912, he successfully passed a bill prohibiting secret and exclusive societies at the public institutions of higher learning. The law stayed on the books for twelve years.

Russell was elected to the office of lieutenant governor in 1915 and elected governor in 1919. Crop failures due to the boll weevil marked his term. Russell also filed an antitrust suit against several fire insurance companies for their business practices.

In 1923, he was sued for seduction and breach of promise by his former secretary Frances Birkhead.[3] Russell was acquitted, and he blamed the lawsuit on the fire insurance industry.

Russell could not run for re-election due to the term limits in the Mississippi constitution. He retired to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. There he sold real estate for a period before returning to Jackson to practice law until his death on May 16, 1943.[4] He is buried at Lakewood Memorial Park in Jackson.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Rowland, Dunbar (1908). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 1057.
  2. ^ a b Rowland, Dunbar (1912). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 388.
  3. ^ Sansing, David G. (1999). The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History. University Press of Mississippi. p. 206. ISBN 9781578060917. OCLC 39811709.
  4. ^ American Political Leaders 1789–2009
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Mississippi
1919 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
1916–1920 		Succeeded by
Homer H. Casteel
Preceded by Governor of Mississippi
1920–1924 		Succeeded by
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