Meade Alcorn

Hugh Meade Alcorn Jr. (October 20, 1907 – January 13, 1992) was a U.S. lawyer and political figure. He was a native of Suffield, Connecticut.

Meade Alcorn
Chair of the Republican National Committee
In office February 1, 1957 – July 1, 1959
Preceded by	Leonard W. Hall
Succeeded by	Thruston Morton
Personal details
Born	Hugh Meade Alcorn Jr. (1907-10-20)October 20, 1907 Suffield, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	January 13, 1992(1992-01-13) (aged 84) Suffield, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Dartmouth College (BA) Yale University (LLB)

Biography

He was born on October 20, 1907, to Cora Terry (Wells) and Hugh Mead Alcorn Sr.

He attended Dartmouth College and Yale Law School. An attorney, he was a partner in the once-prominent Connecticut law firm Tyler, Cooper & Alcorn.^[1]

Alcorn was a key figure in Connecticut politics following World War II. He served as State Representative, Republican floor leader, and then Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. He also served as Hartford State's Attorney. As the Republican leader in the Connecticut General Assembly, he was often paired against John Bailey, his legendary Democratic counterpart. He was the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in 1948, losing narrowly to Democrat William T. Carroll.

Alcorn joined the Republican National Committee in 1953, and was the chairman of the Republican National Committee between 1957 and 1959, during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. He was also the great-great nephew of U.S. Senator and Governor of Mississippi James Lusk Alcorn.

He died of a stroke on January 13, 1992.^[2]

Personal life

Alcorn was married to Marcia Powell Alcorn after the death of his first wife, Janet. He had only one daughter, named Eileen. His brother Howard W. Alcorn was chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Meade was known publicly as "Hugh M. Alcorn, Jr." for much of his career. He adopted the name "Meade Alcorn" for his campaign for lieutenant governor in 1948. His middle name was "Meade" rather than "Mead" to distinguish him from his well-known father.^[3]

References

1. It was founded by his father in 1897. The firm closed in 2008, and its practice was taken over by the Providence firm Hinckley, Allen & Snyder.
2. "Meade Alcorn Jr., 84, G.O.P. National Chief". The New York Times. January 14, 1992. Retrieved January 24, 2009. Hugh Meade Alcorn Jr., the Republican national chairman from 1957 to 1959 during the Eisenhower Administration, died yesterday at his home in Suffield, Conn. He was 84 years old. The cause of his death was a stroke, his daughter said. ...
3. "Information", Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), November 3, 1957, p. A15

External links

• Hugh Mead (sic) Alcorn entry at The Political Graveyard
• The Papers of Hugh Meade Alcorn at Dartmouth College Library

Party political offices
Preceded by Leonard W. Hall	Chair of the Republican National Committee 1957–1959	Succeeded by Thruston Morton