John Arthur Eaves Sr. (July 31, 1935 – March 18, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he served one term in 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 1972 to 1976 and made three unsuccessful bids for gubernatorial office in 1975, 1979, and 1987.

Early life

John Arthur Eaves was born on July 31, 1935, in

Louisville, Mississippi Louisville (pronounced LEW-iss-vill) is a city in and the county seat of Winston County, Mississippi. The population was 6,072 at the 2020 census. History Like Winston County, Louisville is named for Louis Winston (1784–1824), a colonel in ...

. He graduated from Louisville High School in 1954 and

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

in 1959 with a degree in geology. He subsequently joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, reaching the rank of sergeant and serving as a

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

in the

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG or JAG Corps) is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates ...

before obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Mississippi School of Law The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, United States. Established in 1854, the School of Law offers t ...

. He married Patricia Lovorn on August 23, 1963, and had three children with her: John Arthur Jr., Paige, and Tiffany. He began practicing law in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, in 1963 and established a reputation as a successful trial lawyer.

Political career

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 ...

, Eaves served one term in the

from 1972 to 1976, representing the 31st District. Eaves mounted his first gubernatorial bid in 1975, finishing fourth in the Democratic primary with 50,606 votes. In 1979 he ran again, placing third in the primary with 143,411 votes. He launched his final campaign in 1987, finishing fourth with 98,517 votes.

Later life

Eaves died on March 18, 2022, at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, succumbing to cancer.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaves, John Arthur 1935 births 2022 deaths Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Lawyers from Jackson, Mississippi United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps 20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature