Presley Groves
American lawyer and politician (1841-1915)
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Presley Groves (August 30, 1841 - May 16, 1915) was an American lawyer and politician. He served in both houses of the Mississippi Legislature between 1886 and 1908.
Ferr Smith (great-grandson)
Presley Groves | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 17th district | |
| In office January 1904 – January 1908 | |
| In office January 1888 – January 1892 | |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the Leake County district | |
| In office January 1900 – January 1904 | |
| In office January 1886 – January 1888 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 30, 1841 |
| Died | May 16, 1915 (aged 73) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Relations | Greenwood Leflore (great-uncle) Ferr Smith (great-grandson) |
| Children | 11 |
Early life
Presley Groves was born on August 30, 1841, in Ofahoma, Mississippi.[1] He was the son of Iredel C. Groves, of Scotch-Irish descent, and Sarah (Leflore) Groves, the daughter of Benjamin Leflore and niece of Choctaw chief Greenwood Leflore, who negotiated the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830.[1][2] Presley attended the public schools of Leake County and attended the University of Mississippi, studying law and getting admitted to the bar upon graduation.[1] Groves served under A. P. Hill in the Confederate Army in the Civil War.[1] He was wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor.[1] During early Reconstruction, he served as a Captain of horsemen under governor William Sharkey.[2]
Political career
Groves served as a justice of the peace for four years in the early 1880s.[1][2] He was elected to represent Leake County in the Mississippi House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1886.[2] In 1887, he was elected to represent the 17th District in the Mississippi State Senate for the 1888–1892 term.[3][1] In 1899, Groves was once again elected to the House for the 1900-1904 term.[4] On November 3, 1903, Groves was elected to represent the Senate's 17th District for the 1904–1908 term.[1] During that term, Groves served on the following committees: Finance; Agriculture; Commerce and Manufactures; Public Works; Claims; Unfinished Business; Public Lands; and Pensions.[1] Groves died on May 16, 1915, in Jackson, Mississippi.[5]
Personal life
Groves married Marie Josephine Charles in March 1861.[1] They had seven children: Louis, Mignon, Mamie, Laura, Alpha, Myrtle, and I. C.[1] Groves also had four children by a black mistress surnamed Smith, acknowledged by the family.[6] His great-grandson from that side, Ferr Smith, later also served in the Mississippi House of Representatives.[6]