William Bailey Lamar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Dannite H. Mays |
| 16thFlorida Attorney General | |
| In office January 8, 1889 – March 4, 1903 | |
| Governor | Francis P. Fleming Henry L. Mitchell William D. Bloxham William Sherman Jennings |
| Preceded by | Charles Merian Cooper |
| Succeeded by | James B. Whitfield |
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives from theJefferson district | |
| In office 1886 – January 8, 1889 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1853-06-12)June 12, 1853 |
| Died | September 26, 1928(1928-09-26) (aged 75) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Jefferson Academy University of Georgia Cumberland University |
| Occupation | Attorney |
William Bailey Lamar (June 12, 1853 – September 26, 1928) was an American attorney and politician who served as aU.S. representative fromFlorida from 1903 to 1909.[1]
Lamar was born on June 12, 1853, inMonticello, Florida. He was a member of theLamar family, a political family fromGeorgia.[2] Lamar attendedJefferson Academy in Monticello, and later went on to attend theUniversity of Georgia. He lived inAthens, Georgia, from 1866 until 1873, when he began attendingCumberland University's law school inLebanon,Tennessee, graduating in 1875.[3]
That same year, Lamar was admitted into theMississippi Bar and began a private practice inTupelo, Mississippi.[3]
In 1877, Lamar returned to Florida, having been appointed clerk of theJefferson County court, a position he held until 1881. In 1883, Lamar, aDemocrat, was appointed judge of the Jefferson County court, serving until 1886, when he was elected to theFlorida House of Representatives, representing Jefferson County.[3] Lamar served as a representative until 1889, when he was appointed the 16thFlorida Attorney General by newly elected GovernorFrancis P. Fleming.[4]
During his long 14-year tenure as Attorney General, Lamar oversaw theindustrialization and modernization of the formerlyagrarian Florida economy.[5] However, Lamar ensured that Florida would remainsegregated, as he turned a blind eye while his subordinates instituted laws banning blacks from entire towns.[6]
As a result of the1900 U.S. Census, Florida was apportioned athird U.S. House seat for the 1902 election. Lamar received the Democratic nomination in 1902, and ran unopposed in the general election.[7] He was reelected in 1904 after defeatingRepublican L. M. Ware. In 1906 he faced only token opposition fromSocialist T. B. Meeker.[8][9]
On December 23, 1907, one ofFlorida's U.S. Senators,Stephen Mallory, II, died in office. TheFlorida Legislature appointedDuval County solicitorWilliam James Bryan to finish Mallory's term in theU.S. Senate, but Bryan died not long after, on March 22, 1908.[10] The Legislature then appointed the former mayor ofMarianna, Florida,William Hall Milton, to the Senate seat, which was up for election later that year.[11]
Lamar did not run for reelection for his house seat, opting instead to run for the senate seat. However, Lamar did not receive the Democratic nomination, losing to the formermayor of JacksonvilleDuncan U. Fletcher. Fletcher went on to win the seat, running unopposed in the general election.[12]
After his loss in the Senate race, Lamar retired politically, returning to a private law practice. In 1915, he was appointed national commissioner to thePanama-Pacific International Exposition inSan Francisco, California.[8]
Lamar died on September 26, 1928, at his winter home inThomasville, Georgia. He is buried in Athens'Oconee Hill Cemetery.
Lamar married Ethel Healey on June 8, 1904, though they did not have children.[13]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Florida Attorney General 1889 – 1903 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by New district | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 3rd congressional district March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909 | Succeeded by |
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