John C. Kyle
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John Curtis Kyle (July 17, 1851 – July 6, 1913) was an American attorney and Democratic politician from
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
during the late 19th century. He was most notable for his service as mayor of
Sardis, Mississippi Sardis is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,748. Sardis is one of two county seats for Panola County; the other is Batesville, on the south side of the Tallahatchie River. Ge ...
(1879-1881), 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 ...
(1881-1885), member of the Mississippi Railroad Commission (1886-1890) and member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1891-1897).


Early life

Kyle was born in
Sardis, Mississippi Sardis is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,748. Sardis is one of two county seats for Panola County; the other is Batesville, on the south side of the Tallahatchie River. Ge ...
, the son of James M. Kyle and Susannah (Curtis) Kyle. As a boy, he attended the local schools and worked on his family's farm. He attended Bethel College through his junior year, then returned home to work on the farm. He later resumed his education at Cumberland University Law School, from which he received a
LL.B. 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 ...
degree in 1874. He then attained
admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
and began a law practice in
Batesville, Mississippi Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,523 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 7,463 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Batesville is one of two county seats which th ...
. After several years in Batesville, Kyle returned to Sardis, where he continued practicing law.


Political career

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. In 1881, Kyle was elected to 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 ...
, and he served until 1885. 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. Kyle had not sought the position, but still defeated
John Marshall Stone John Marshall Stone (April 30, 1830March 26, 1900) was an American politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served longer as governor of that state than anyone else, from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. He approved a new constitut ...
in the legislative vote. 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.


U.S. Representative

In 1890, Kyle was elected to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...
. He was re-elected in 1892 and 1894, and served in the House from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1897. 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.


Later life

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. 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. He retired from business in 1912, and died in Sardis on July 6, 1913, eleven days before his 62nd birthday. He was interred in Rosehill Cemetery.


Family

In 1879, Kyle married Sallie G. Heflin of Sardis. They were the parents of a son, John Curtis Kyle Jr. (1882-1905).


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, John C 1851 births 1913 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century mayors of places in the United States American bankers Bethel University (Tennessee) alumni Cumberland University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi Democratic Party Mississippi state senators Mayors of places in Mississippi Mississippi lawyers People from Sardis, Mississippi 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature