L. L. Foster | |
---|---|
5th President of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas | |
In office July 1, 1898 – December 2, 1901 | |
Preceded by | Roger Haddock Whitlock (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Roger Haddock Whitlock (Acting) |
Railroad Commissioner of Texas | |
In office May 5, 1891 – April 29, 1895 | |
Appointed by | Jim Hogg |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | N. A. Stedman |
Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History | |
In office January 20, 1887 – May 4, 1891 | |
Governor | L. S. Ross Jim Hogg |
Preceded by | Hamilton P. Bee |
Succeeded by | John E. Hollingsworth |
28th Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives | |
In office January 13, 1885 – January 11, 1887 | |
Preceded by | Charles Reese Gibson |
Succeeded by | George Cassety Pendleton |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives | |
In office January 9, 1883 – January 11, 1887 | |
Preceded by | Robert A. Kerr |
Succeeded by | Albert Collins Prendergast |
Constituency | 62nd district |
In office January 11, 1881 – January 9, 1883 | |
Preceded by | James Petty Brown |
Succeeded by | John Marks Moore (Redistricting) |
Constituency | 42nd district |
Personal details | |
Born | Lafayette Lumpkin Foster November 27, 1851 Sheltonville, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | December 2, 1901 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | (aged 50)
Burial place | College Station, Texas, U.S. 30°36′07″N 96°22′06″W / 30.60192°N 96.36829°W |
Alma mater | Waco University |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Laura Pender (m. 1875) |
Children | 7 |
Lafayette Lumpkin Foster (November 27, 1851 – December 2, 1901) was an American journalist and politician. A bureaucrat that held various positions in the state government of Texas, Foster was a member of the boards of both Baylor University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, later becoming president of the A&M College of Texas, now known as Texas A&M University, from 1898 to his death three years later.
A strong believer in organization and progress, he played instrumental roles in the merger of two large Texas Baptist conventions, and Baylor University's move to Waco. He helped organize the first "Farmers' Camp Meeting" in 1898, which would turn into the Texas Farmers Congress and be held annually at the A&M College until 1915.[1] He was the youngest Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives at the time of his election to the office at the age of 33.