Robert Aaron Dean (December 29, 1836 – November 19, 1912) was an American politician and farmer. He served in both houses of the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and ...

, and was the President Pro Tempore of the Mississippi State Senate from 1890 to 1896. He represented Lafayette County.

Early life

Robert Aaron Dean was born on December 29, 1836, near Chulahoma, Mississippi. He was the son of Russell Dean, who was of English and Scottish descent; and his wife Louisa Ann (Alsup) Dean, who was of Welsh and Irish descent. Dean attended the private schools of his native

Marshall County, Mississippi Marshall County is a County (United States), county located on the north central border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,752. Its county seat is Holly Springs, Mississippi ...

, and became a farmer. When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

began in 1861, Dean enlisted in the 19th Mississippi Infantry Regiment as an Orderly Sergeant, and by 1863 was promoted to

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, at which rank he served until the end of the war.

Political career

In 1877, Dean was elected to represent Lafayette County as 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 ...

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 ...

for the 1878–1880 session, and entered office on January 8, 1878. Dean then represented the 7th District (Lafayette County) in 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 1886 to 1896. In 1890, Dean was elected by acclamation to the position of the senate's President pro tempore. He was a delegate at the 1890 Mississippi Constitutional Convention and chaired the penitentiary committee that banned

convict leasing Convict leasing was a system of forced penal labor that was practiced historically in the Southern United States before it was formally abolished during the 20th century. Under this system, private individuals and corporations could lease la ...

. In 1892, Dean was re-elected to the presidency pro tempore, defeating Senator

John M. Simonton John M. Simonton was an officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War and a state senator in Mississippi. He served in the Mississippi Senate from 1859 to 1869. He was President of the Mississippi Senate from 1865 to 1869. Durin ...

with a vote of 30 to 12. His tenure as president pro tempore continued through the 1894 session. In 1896 Dean was succeeded in the Senate by W. F. Love. From 1900 to 1903, Dean was part of the Commission that supervised the construction of the new

Mississippi State Capitol The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the old Mississippi State House in 1903. Located in the centrally-located state capital / capital city of Jackson, in H ...

building. On January 25, 1908, Dean was elected to replace George W. Hightower, who resigned, to represent the 32nd District (also Lafayette County) in the State Senate. He was succeeded in the state senate by Lee M. Russell.

Later life

Dean died near Glenville, Mississippi, on November 19, 1912.

Personal life

Dean was a

, a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, and a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

. He married Lucy Ann Langston on February 2, 1864, and they had eight children together, all of whom were living as of 1908. Their names were Russell Langston, Thomas Greenwood, Joseph James, Robert Aaron Jr., Louanner, Georgia, Minnie, and Hardy Mott.

References

External links

Findagrave entry
{{Mississippi Constitution signatories 1836 births 1912 deaths Democratic Party Mississippi state senators People from Marshall County, Mississippi Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Confederate States Army officers Presidents pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate American Freemasons 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature 20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature