Strong, William A., 1823-1865

William A. Strong was a politician and state official in Mississippi during the mid-nineteenth century. Born in 1823 in Clark, Georgia, Strong moved to Mississippi and became active in state politics by the 1850s. He was initially associated with the Whig Party and Unionist movement, and was elected to the Mississippi legislature in 1853. By the end of the decade, he had joined the chorus of southerners outspoken against the Republican Party and its threat to southern society. During the Civil War, Strong was commissioned an officer in the Mississippi state troops. He then received an appointment as distillery agent, responsible for the production, distribution, and sales of alcohol within the state. Strong was killed in 1865 in an altercation with J. L. Heggie, who was arrested but later acquitted. Strong was married to Julia A. Mitchell and had at least five children. (Natchez Democrat, Natchez, MS, June 19, 1853; Semi-Weekly Mississippian, Jackson, MS, October 7, 1856, and December 1, 1860; Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS, June 11, 1864, and November 1, 1866; 1850 U.S. Census for Carroll, Mississippi, Roll 369, Page 253a; 1860 U. S. Census for Police District 3, Carroll, Mississippi)