George Mason Graham

Lifetime Events. b. 21 August 1807, Fairfax County, Virginia d. 31 January 1891, Rapides Parish, Louisiana -- Education: US Military Academy; University of Virginia -- Relocated to Rapides Parish in 1828 -- Built Tyrone Plantation on Bayou Rapides, 1842 -- Major of the Rapides Parish Regiment of Militia, 1844 -- Mexican War, 1846: (Captain, Co. E, 3d Louisiana Infantry Regiment; later ADC to BGen John Garland at the Battle of Monterrey) -- Brigadier General of the Avoyelles and Rapides Militia Regiments, 1847 -- Adjutant General of Louisiana, 1866-69

The Father of LSU. In 1853, General Graham was appointed by Governor Hebert to be a member of the Board of Trustees of the newly-authorized Louisiana State Seminary of Learning in Pineville, and was chosen to be its vice-president, the governor being president ex officio. In the spring of 1859, General Graham proposed "That the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning shall be a literary and scientific institution, under a military form of government similar to that of The Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Virginia." After extensive debate, this resolution was adopted, thereby establishing one of the most enduring characteristics of the institution which, much later, would become known as "the ole war skule". Implementation of this resolution also fell to General Graham, and an advertisement was published for the position of Superintendent of the institution. A personal acquaintance of General Graham, Major Don Carlos Buell, wrote to recommend "Major William T. Sherman, recently resigned from the army, and then practicing law in Kansas City, Missouri." In August 1859, when the Board of Supervisors met for the election of professors, Sherman was selected to be Superintendent of the institution. Subsequently, at a meeting at General Graham's home at Tyrone Plantation, General Graham, Sherman and one additional professor defined "the Code of Rules and Regulations for its government, in a laborious session of two days and nights. However, on October 15, 1869, the Pineville campus building burned. Classes were resumed on November 1st, at the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind in Baton Rouge. In March, 1870, the name of the institution was changed to "The Louisiana State University", the institution remaining in Baton Rouge. General Graham remained a member of the Board of Supervisors until July 1885 when he resigned due to age and ill health. In all, he was a member of the board for 21 years, longer than any other individual. His service encompassed the construction of the first buildings, summoning of the first superintendent, compiling the rules of governance, and shepherding the fledgling institution through war and reconstruction to its final incarnation as the flagship State University. For all these reasons, General George Mason Graham truly merits the title "the Father of Louisiana State University."

Source: Donald P. Moriarty, II

Family links:

Spouses:

 Esther B Smith Graham (____ - 1835)*

 Caroline Homoiselle Stuart Graham (1826 - 1896)*

 Mary Eliza Graham (1830 - 1855)*

Children:

 George Mason Graham (____ - 1836)*

 Caroline Graham Cralle (1868 - 1908)*

*Calculated relationship

Inscription: "Son of Geo. Graham & Elizabeth Hooe, grandson of Richard Graham, a native of Scotland & his wife Jane Brent of Stafford Co. VA, born at Lexington, Fairfax Co., VA ... Came to Rapides Parish 10 Nov 1828, Died at Tyrone near Alexandria, LA leaving 4 children" (General Graham was 1st Supt. of State Seminary of Learning & Military School, forerunner of LSU)