John C. Kyle
American attorney and politician (1851–1913) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American attorney and politician (1851–1913) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Curtis Kyle (July 17, 1851 – July 6, 1913) was an American attorney and Democratic politician from Mississippi during the late 19th century. He was most notable for his service as mayor of Sardis, Mississippi (1879-1881), a member of the Mississippi State Senate (1881-1885), member of the Mississippi Railroad Commission (1886-1890) and member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1891-1897).
.jpg)
Kyle was born in Sardis, Mississippi, the son of James M. Kyle and Susannah (Curtis) Kyle.[1] As a boy, he attended the local schools and worked on his family's farm.[1] He attended Bethel College through his junior year, then returned home to work on the farm.[1] He later resumed his education at Cumberland University Law School, from which he received a LL.B. degree in 1874.[1] He then attained admission to the bar and began a law practice in Batesville, Mississippi.[1] After several years in Batesville, Kyle returned to Sardis, where he continued practicing law.[1]
Kyle served as Democratic mayor of Sardis from 1879 to 1881, an event that was noteworthy for the fact that Kyle had not been a candidate for the office and had not campaigned for it.[1] In 1881, Kyle was elected to the Mississippi State Senate, and he served until 1885.[1] He declined to be a candidate for a second term, and in 1886 the state legislature chose him for a seat on the Mississippi Railroad Commission.[1] Kyle had not sought the position, but still defeated John Marshall Stone in the legislative vote.[1] In 1887, he was elected chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party's executive committee, and he oversaw the party's efforts in that year's statewide elections.[1]
In 1890, Kyle was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[1] He was re-elected in 1892 and 1894, and served in the House from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1897.[1] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1896 election, declining to run because he opposed the Democratic Party's adoption of the Free silver position in its 1896 platform.[2]
After leaving the House, Kyle resumed practicing law. He also became involved in several banking and business ventures. In 1900, Kyle was a candidate for the presidency of Mississippi Agricultural & Mechanical College and lost by one vote when the school's board of trustees voted 5 to 4 to offer the position to J. C. Hardy.[3] In 1902, Kyle announced his candidacy in the 1903 gubernatorial election, but withdrew after his business and legal interests prevented him from becoming an active candidate.[2]
He retired from business in 1912, and died in Sardis on July 6, 1913, eleven days before his 62nd birthday.[4] He was interred in Rosehill Cemetery.[5]
In 1879, Kyle married Sallie G. Heflin of Sardis.[1] They were the parents of a son, John Curtis Kyle Jr. (1882-1905).[1]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
