State Web Site

ANDREW H. LONGINO, the thirty-fifth governor of Mississippi, was born in Lawrence County, Mississippi on May 16, 1854. His education was attained at Mississippi College, where he graduated in 1875, and at the University of Virginia, where he earned a law degree in 1880. Longino first entered politics as a member of the Mississippi State Senate, a position he held from 1880 to 1884. From 1888 to 1890 he served as the U.S. district attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, and from 1894 to 1899 he served on the Chancery Court bench. Longino next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote on November 7, 1899. During his tenure, insurance laws were improved; the Mississippi department of archives and history was founded; the magnolia was initiated as the state flower; and a state department of insurance was created. Also, a primary election bill was sanctioned; construction on a new state capitol was authorized; and legislative districts were reapportioned. Longino completed his term and left office on January 19, 1904. After running unsuccessfully for reelection to the governor’s office in 1919, Longino retired from public service. Governor Andrew H. Longino passed away on February 24, 1942, and was buried in the Cedarlawn Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.

Resources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Mississippi Historical Society

biography.ms

The Political Graveyard