James Benjamin Aswell Sr. (December 23, 1869 – March 16, 1931) was a prominent educator and a
Democratic U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, who served from 1913 until his death, which occurred twelve days into his tenth term.
Life and career
Aswell was born in the Vernon community in rural
Jackson Parish in north Louisiana to Benjamin W. and Elizabeth A. (Lyles) Aswell . He graduated with teaching credentials in 1892 from
Peabody College
Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee ...
. In 1893, he received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Nashville
University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...
, and received a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree from the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
at
Fayetteville the following year. In 1907, he obtained his
law degree
A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law.
Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...
from the same institution.
He was a state school administrator before he was selected to be president of Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, now
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...
, in 1900. He resigned in 1904 after being elected as
Louisiana Superintendent of Education in 1904. He resigned his position in 1908 to be president of Louisiana State Normal School, now
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville, Louisiana, Leesville/Fort Jo ...
. Aswell resigned his position in 1911 to run unsuccessfully for governor in the
1912 Democratic primary. He was defeated by
Luther E. Hall, who served in the state's highest office from 1912 to 1916.
Later that year, Aswell was elected to the U.S. House from the newly created
8th congressional district, based around
Natchitoches and
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
. Aswell was reelected nine times. During the 1920s, he was the ranking minority member of the
House Agriculture Committee
The United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agricul ...
. He worked with the Louisiana
naturalist
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
Caroline Dormon
Caroline "Carrie" Coroneos Dormon (July 19, 1888 – November 21, 1971) was an American naturalist, ethnographer, and writer in Louisiana. She was a pioneer conservationist and was involved in the establishment of the Kisatchie National Forest and ...
to establish the
Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, United States, is located in the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It is part of the Cenozoic uplands (some of Louisiana's oldest ...
in his district.
[
He died in Washington, D.C., and is interred there in ]Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aswell, James Benjamin
1869 births
1931 deaths
People from Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana Democrats
Educators from Louisiana
Louisiana lawyers
Peabody College alumni
University of Arkansas alumni
University of Arkansas School of Law alumni
People from Natchitoches, Louisiana
Presidents of Louisiana Tech University
Presidents of Northwestern State University
Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives