John Marshall Stone
John Marshall Stone (April 30, 1830 – March 26, 1900) was an American politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served longer as governor of that state than anyone else, from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. He approved a new constitution in 1890 passed by the Democratic-dominated state legislature that disfranchised most African Americans, excluding them from the political system[1] for more than 75 years.
For other people named John Stone, see John Stone (disambiguation).
John Marshall Stone
Vacant (1876–1878)
William H. Sims (1878–1882)
April 30, 1830
Milan, Tennessee
March 26, 1900 (aged 69)
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Democratic
Early life[edit]
Born in Milan, Tennessee, Stone was the son of Asher and Judith Stone, natives of Virginia who were part of the migration to the west. He did not attend college since his family was fairly poor, but he studied a great deal and eventually taught school. He lived in Jacks Creek, Tennessee before moving to Tishomingo County, Mississippi in 1855.[2] Stone became a station agent at Iuka when the Memphis and Charleston Railroad opened.
American Civil War[edit]
With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Stone enlisted in the Confederate States Army that April. He commanded Company K of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment and saw action in Virginia. In 1862, Stone was elected colonel of his regiment. Stone was highly commended by his division commander Maj. Gen. Henry Heth, and in 1864, he frequently commanded the brigade. In January 1865, he recruited in Mississippi and commanded local troops countering Stoneman's 1865 Raid. He and his men were captured in North Carolina and imprisoned in Camp Chase, Ohio; later transferred to Johnson's Island, Ohio.
Later life[edit]
Following his term as governor, in 1899, Stone accepted a position as the 2nd President of Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University) in Starkville. Stone died in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1900, at 69. He is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Iuka, Mississippi.[4][5][6]
Personal life[edit]
After the war, Stone married Mary G. Coman in 1872. The couple had two children who died young. They adopted three children of John's brother and raised them as their own.