author
John M. (John Morgan) Landrum
1815–1861
A Louisiana lawyer, mayor, congressman, and pamphleteer, this 19th-century public figure moved between local politics and the national arguments of his day. His surviving work, including The Slavery Question, offers a direct window into the political tensions just before the Civil War.
1 Audiobook
The Slavery Question Speech of Hon. John M. Landrum, of La., Delivered in the House of Representatives, April 27, 1860
by John M. (John Morgan) Landrum
About the author
Born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, on July 3, 1815, he studied at South Carolina College, graduated in 1842, then taught school before turning to law. After being admitted to the bar in 1844, he settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he built his legal career.
Public service soon followed. He served as mayor of Shreveport in 1848 and later represented Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1859 until early 1861, leaving office after Louisiana seceded from the Union. He died in Shreveport in 1861.
Although best known politically, he is also remembered as an author because The Slavery Question has been preserved and remains available through Project Gutenberg. For modern readers, that makes him more than a historical officeholder: he is also a voice from a deeply divided moment in American history.