Gwin to be topic of March 10 talk

Special to The Clinton Courier

William McKendree Gwin

The Clinton Genealogical and Historical Society will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, March 10, and will welcome Nick Walters as the guest speaker.

Walters is the founder/director of the Center for Christian History at Mississippi College, where he also teaches history. He’s an MC graduate with undergraduate and graduate degrees in history.

Walters’ talk is on the life of California’s first U.S. Senator and former Mississippi Congressman and Clinton resident, William McKendree Gwin. Gwin was born in Tennessee in 1805, the son of Reverend James Gwin, a soldier who served under Andrew Jackson. William Gwin practiced medicine in Clinton in 1832 and 1833 before being appointed U.S. Marshall. He represented Mississippi in Congress in 1841-1843 and moved to California in 1849, where he served as U.S. Senator from 1849 to 1861. His brother was Samuel Gwin, who killed Isaac Caldwell in their famous duel in 1836.

The public is invited to attend, and the meeting is free. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Northside Baptist Church at 1475 East Northside Drive.