Vernon Delma Furniss (July 30, 1934 – January 31, 2022) was an American Democratic politician and

railroad conductor A conductor (North American English) or guard (Commonwealth English) is a train crew member responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve actual operation of the train/locomotive. The role is common worldwide under various j ...

. He was a member of the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

from 1993 to 2004, and a member of the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

from 1984 to 1993.

Biography

Vernon Delma Furniss was born on July 30, 1934, in

Belen, Mississippi Belen is an unincorporated community in Quitman County, Mississippi. Belen is located on Mississippi Highway 316, west of Marks. History Belen is named for the assault that occurred at the Belén Gate during the Battle for Mexico City. Joh ...

. He received a

B. A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree from

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta. History The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricultu ...

and a M. S. degree from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

. Furniss was a conductor for the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

. He was a member of the

from 1984 to 1993. He then was a member of the Mississippi State Senate from 1993 until his retirement in 2004. Furniss was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. Furniss died on January 31, 2022.

References

1934 births 2022 deaths Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic Party Mississippi state senators Delta State University alumni University of Mississippi alumni 21st-century members of the Mississippi Legislature People from Quitman County, Mississippi Conductor (rail) 20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature {{Mississippi-politician-stub