Lewis Eliphalet Parsons (28 April 1817 – 8 June 1895) was the appointed provisional and 19th Governor of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 from June to December, 1865, following the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Parsons was Alabama's 19th governor. He was born in Boone County, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, on April 28, 1817. He was educated in public schools, and studied law at the Frederick Tallmadge office in New York and the G.W. Woodward offices in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. Parsons moved to Talladega, Alabama

Talladega, Alabama

Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....

, in 1840, and practiced law with Alexander White

Alexander White (Alabama)

Alexander White was an American lawyer from Alabama, who represented Alabama in the U.S Congress as a Whig , and as a Republican ....

. He was a presidential elector in 1856 and 1860, and a member of the Alabama House of Representatives

Alabama House of Representatives

The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal amount of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term...

 in 1859 and 1865. Parsons fought as a Confederate lieutenant at the brief Battle of Munford

Battle of Munford

The Battle of Munford, Alabama has been said to be the last battle of the American Civil War to take place east of the Mississippi. The battle took place on Sunday, April 23, 1865 during the raid through Alabama by 1500 Union cavalry under General John T. Croxton...

 near Talladega in April, 1865.

In April 1865, Alabama's civil government underwent a drastic change because of the surrender of the Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

's armies. General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 George H. Thomas was ordered to manage state affairs until a provisional government was appointed. President

President

A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

 appointed Parsons provisional governor of Alabama on June 21, 1865. His first deed was to reinstate the laws of 1861, except those pertaining to slavery

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

. He ordered the election of delegates to a constitutional convention that met September 12, 1865. The convention repealed the ordinance of secession, renounced the state's war debts, abolished slavery, and scheduled elections to choose state officials and representatives to Congress. He attempted to purchase the panhandle of Florida for Alabama which sparked rumors that he had access to unclaimed confederate gold. Parsons's term ended on December 13, 1865, with the inauguration of Robert M. Patton

Robert M. Patton

Robert Miller Patton was the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1865 to 1867.Patton was born July 10, 1809, in Russell County, Virginia. His family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, in 1818 where Patton attended Green Academy. Patton apprenticed in the family cotton mill founded by his...

. Parsons was elected to the U.S. Senate, but was refused his seat by the Republican party. In addition, he served as U.S. District Attorney for northern Alabama.

Parsons died on June 8, 1895, and is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery, Talladega, Alabama.

Sources

• Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978, Vol.1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.