Lafayette L. Foster

Lafayette 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 (1851-11-27)November 27, 1851 Sheltonville, Georgia, U.S.
Died	December 2, 1901(1901-12-02) (aged 50) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Burial place	College Station, Texas, U.S. 30°36′07″N 96°22′06″W / 30.60192°N 96.36829°W / 30.60192; -96.36829
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.