James Benjamin Aswell
Encyclopedia
James Benjamin Aswell, Sr. (December 23, 1869 – March 16, 1931), was a prominent educator and a Democratic
U.S. representative from Louisiana
, who served from 1913 until his death, which occurred twelve days into his tenth term.
Jackson Parish in north Louisiana to Benjamin W. Aswell and the former Elizabeth A. Lyles. He attended local schools and graduated with teaching credentials in 1892 from Peabody College
, a division of Vanderbilt University
(then Peabody Normal College) in Nashville
, Tennessee
. In 1893, he received the Bachelor of Arts
degree from the former University of Nashville
. In 1894, he received his Master of Arts
degree from the University of Arkansas
at Fayetteville
; in 1907, he obtained his law
degree from the same institution. He was twice married: (1) to the former Mary Lee Wright by whom he had his daughter Corinne, and (2) to the former Ella Foster of Mineral Wells, Texas
, and thereafter Shreveport, by whom he had his son, James B. Aswell, Jr. (1906–1955), an author based in Natchitoches
.
He began his educational career as a teacher in country schools and high schools. He was a state school administrator before he was tapped from 1900-1904 to be the president of Louisiana Tech University
(then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute) in Ruston
, the seat of Lincoln Parish
. Thereafter, he was the Louisiana state superintendent of education from 1904-1908. As superintendent, he worked to reorganize public schools. He was then the president of Northwestern State University
(then Louisiana State Normal School) in Natchitoches from 1908-1911.
Aswell resigned as the Northwestern president to run unsuccessfully for governor in the 1911 Democratic primary. He was defeated by Luther E. Hall
, who served in the state's highest office from 1912-1916.
Thereafter, Aswell was elected to the U.S. House in 1912 from the newly-created District 8, based about Natchitoches and Alexandria
. The district was abolished effective with the 1992congressional elecdtions. Aswell was reelected nine times. He served during the administrations of Presidents Woodrow Wilson
, Warren G. Harding
, Calvin Coolidge
, and Herbert C. Hoover
. During the 1920s, he was the ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee. He worked with the Louisiana naturalist
Caroline Dormon
to establish the Kisatchie National Forest
in his district. He was a strong opponent of Republican
President Hoover, whom many Democrats blamed for the Great Depression
, which had barely begun when Aswell died. Hoover nevertheless signed Aswell's legislation to designate the Kisatchie Forest. Aswell tried to pass various "drought-relief" measures in the House even before the Dust Bowl
engulfed many Great Plains
states.
At the time of his death, Aswell was the dean of the Louisiana congressional delegation. He left an unfinished novel White Sheep based on the politics of Louisiana Governor and U.S. Senator Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
He died in Washington, D.C.
, and is interred there in Rock Creek Cemetery. Aswell Hall on the Louisiana Tech campus honors his memory. His papers are in the archives of Northwestern State University.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. representative from Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 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 ruralRural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Jackson Parish in north Louisiana to Benjamin W. Aswell and the former Elizabeth A. Lyles. He attended local schools and graduated with teaching credentials in 1892 from Peabody College
Peabody College
Peabody College of Education and Human Development was founded in 1875 when the University of Nashville, located in Nashville, Tennessee, split into two separate educational institutions...
, a division of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
(then Peabody Normal College) in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. In 1893, he received the Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the former University of Nashville
University of Nashville
The University of Nashville was an educational institution that existed as a distinct entity from 1826 until 1909. During its history, it operated at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a literary arts college, and a boys preparatory school...
. In 1894, he received his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
at Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
; in 1907, he obtained his law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
degree from the same institution. He was twice married: (1) to the former Mary Lee Wright by whom he had his daughter Corinne, and (2) to the former Ella Foster of Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
, and thereafter Shreveport, by whom he had his son, James B. Aswell, Jr. (1906–1955), an author based in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
.
He began his educational career as a teacher in country schools and high schools. He was a state school administrator before he was tapped from 1900-1904 to be the president of Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
(then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute) in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, the seat of Lincoln Parish
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Lincoln Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ruston. In 2004, its population was estimated to be 42,382...
. Thereafter, he was the Louisiana state superintendent of education from 1904-1908. As superintendent, he worked to reorganize public schools. He was then the president of Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
(then Louisiana State Normal School) in Natchitoches from 1908-1911.
Aswell resigned as the Northwestern president to run unsuccessfully for governor in the 1911 Democratic primary. He was defeated by Luther E. Hall
Luther E. Hall
Luther Egbert Hall was the 35th Governor of Louisiana from 1912 to 1916. Prior to that, he was a State Senator from 1898 to 1900, a State District Judge from 1900 to 1906, and State Appellate Judge from 1906 to 1911. Before his death, he was Assistant Attorney General from 1918 to 1921.In becoming...
, who served in the state's highest office from 1912-1916.
Thereafter, Aswell was elected to the U.S. House in 1912 from the newly-created District 8, based about Natchitoches and Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
. The district was abolished effective with the 1992congressional elecdtions. Aswell was reelected nine times. He served during the administrations of Presidents Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
, Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, and Herbert C. Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
. During the 1920s, he was the ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee. He worked with the Louisiana naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
Caroline Dormon
Caroline Dormon
Caroline Coroneos Dormon was a botanist, horticulturist, ornithologist, historian, archeologist, preservationist, naturalist, conservationist, and author from Louisiana. She was born in modest circumstances at Briarwood, the family home in northern Natchitoches Parish, to James L. Dormon and the...
to establish the Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, USA, is located in the state's old growth piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It totals more than of public lands....
in his district. He was a strong opponent of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
President Hoover, whom many Democrats blamed for the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, which had barely begun when Aswell died. Hoover nevertheless signed Aswell's legislation to designate the Kisatchie Forest. Aswell tried to pass various "drought-relief" measures in the House even before the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
engulfed many Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
states.
At the time of his death, Aswell was the dean of the Louisiana congressional delegation. He left an unfinished novel White Sheep based on the politics of Louisiana Governor and U.S. Senator Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and is interred there in Rock Creek Cemetery. Aswell Hall on the Louisiana Tech campus honors his memory. His papers are in the archives of Northwestern State University.