Richard Maxwell Drew
Encyclopedia
Richard Maxwell Drew was an attorney
and politician in Claiborne Parish
in north Louisiana
whose family was among the first settlers of what is now Webster Parish
, established in 1871 as a breakaway from Claiborne Parish.
Drew was a son of Newitt (or Newett) Drew, a native of Southampton County
in Virginia, who later moved to Wilson County, Tennessee
, and then northwestern Louisiana. Richard Maxwell Drew was born in his father's Overton community on Dorcheat Bayou
near Minden
, the parish seat of Webster Parish. The community was subsequently wiped out by yellow fever
. Drew's brother, Thomas Stevenson Drew
, who was twenty years his senior, became the governor of Arkansas in 1844. Thomas Drew was the namesake of Drew County, Arkansas
.
R. M. Drew married the former Sarah Jessie Cleveland (1828–1880). At seventeen, he was already practicing law. At twenty-three in 1845, he was a district judge in Claiborne Parish (prior to the establishment of Webster Parish), and a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1845. For the last two years of his short life, Drew was a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
.
Drew died shortly after his 28th birthday. His son, Richard Cleveland Drew
, and grandson, Harmon Caldwell Drew
, were subsequently judges of both the Webster Parish district court. and the state circuit court
, the only father-son combination thus far on the latter court. R. M. Drew's great-grandson, R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
, was a municipal judge and a state representative. His great-great-grandson, Harmon Drew, Jr.
, serves on the same circuit court as did his grandfather and great-grandfather.
Drew is interred at an abandoned cemetery off Interstate 20
at Overton. The epitaph on his tombstone, which was damaged several years ago by a bulldozer operating in the area, reads: "His public and private virtues have survived his death and will endure when this dumb marble shall have faded."
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician in Claiborne Parish
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
in north 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...
whose family was among the first settlers of what is now Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
, established in 1871 as a breakaway from Claiborne Parish.
Drew was a son of Newitt (or Newett) Drew, a native of Southampton County
Southampton County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 18,570 people, 6,279 households, and 4,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 7,058 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
in Virginia, who later moved to Wilson County, 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...
, and then northwestern Louisiana. Richard Maxwell Drew was born in his father's Overton community on Dorcheat Bayou
Dorcheat Bayou
Dorcheat Bayou, also known as Bayou Dorcheat, is a stream in the USA that extends from Nevada County in southwestern Arkansas through Columbia County and into Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana before emptying into Lake Bistineau east of the village of Doyline. To its south, Lake Bistineau...
near Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the parish seat of Webster Parish. The community was subsequently wiped out by yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
. Drew's brother, Thomas Stevenson Drew
Thomas Stevenson Drew
Thomas Stevenson Drew was the third governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Though Drew was the third to be elected governor, he was the fourth in office because his predecessor, Samuel Adams, had served as acting governor during much of 1844, having gained the office through the previous...
, who was twenty years his senior, became the governor of Arkansas in 1844. Thomas Drew was the namesake of Drew County, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
R. M. Drew married the former Sarah Jessie Cleveland (1828–1880). At seventeen, he was already practicing law. At twenty-three in 1845, he was a district judge in Claiborne Parish (prior to the establishment of Webster Parish), and a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1845. For the last two years of his short life, Drew was a Democratic
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...
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
.
Drew died shortly after his 28th birthday. His son, Richard Cleveland Drew
Richard Cleveland Drew
Richard Cleveland Drew, Sr. , also known as R. C. Drew, was a judge of the state district and circuit courts, based in Minden in northwestern Louisiana. The Drew family was among the original 19th century settlers of the future Webster Parish, of which Minden is the parish seat...
, and grandson, Harmon Caldwell Drew
Harmon Caldwell Drew
Harmon Caldwell Drew was a lawyer from Minden, Louisiana, who served prior to 1945 as the district attorney of Bossier and Webster parishes and then as a judge of both the district and the state appeal courts. His political career ended with his defeat by future Governor Robert F. Kennon...
, were subsequently judges of both the Webster Parish district court. and the state circuit court
Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal
The Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal are the intermediate appellate courts for the state of Louisiana.There are five circuits, each covering a different group of parishes...
, the only father-son combination thus far on the latter court. R. M. Drew's great-grandson, R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
Richard Harmon Drew, Sr. was a fourth generation judge and a former Democratic state representative who was descended from pioneer families of Webster Parish in north Louisiana...
, was a municipal judge and a state representative. His great-great-grandson, Harmon Drew, Jr.
Harmon Drew, Jr.
Richard Harmon Drew, Jr. , is a Louisiana judge, legal lecturer, and rhythm-and-blues musician. He is serving a second 10-year term on his state's Second Circuit Court of Appeal, based in Shreveport.-Ancestry:...
, serves on the same circuit court as did his grandfather and great-grandfather.
Drew is interred at an abandoned cemetery off Interstate 20
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
at Overton. The epitaph on his tombstone, which was damaged several years ago by a bulldozer operating in the area, reads: "His public and private virtues have survived his death and will endure when this dumb marble shall have faded."