The Political Graveyard: Politicians Killed By Animals

PoliticalGraveyard.com

Politicians Killed By Animals

Very incomplete list!

Note: see also the page on death from horses and horsedrawn vehicles.

in chronological order

Burroughs Abbott (1830-1906) — of Le Sueur County, Minn.; Kandiyohi County, Minn.; Columbia, Brown County, S.Dak. Born in Franklin County, Ind., November 8, 1830. Farmer; member of Minnesota state house of representatives, 1859-60, 1859-60, 1870 (District 16 1859-60, 1859-60, District 6 1870); member of South Dakota state senate 33rd District, 1891-92. Died, from being kicked by a horse, in Eugene, Lane County, Ore., December 4, 1906 (age 76 years, 26 days). Interment at Eugene Pioneer Cemetery, Eugene, Ore.

		Relatives: Son of Joseph Jackson Abbott and Mary Polly (Osborn) Abbott; married, April 4, 1854, to Angeline Ruggles.
		See also Find-A-Grave memorial — Minnesota Legislator record — Minnesota Legislator record

John William Messer Appleton (1832-1913) — also known as John W. M. Appleton — of Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va.; Union, Monroe County, W.Va. Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., April 1, 1832. Republican. Major in the Union Army during the Civil War; Adjutant General of West Virginia, 1897-1901. Killed by a mad bull, in Union, Monroe County, W.Va., October 26, 1913 (age 81 years, 208 days). Burial location unknown.

		Relatives: Son of Elizabeth Marshall (Messer) Appleton and John Appleton (1809-1869); married, September 21, 1858, to Mary Rice Marsh; first cousin twice removed of John Appleton (1758-1829) and Thomas Appleton; second cousin once removed of John James Appleton; third cousin twice removed of Leonard White.
		Political family: Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).

Jeremiah Haralson (1846-c.1916) — of Selma, Dallas County, Ala. Born near Columbus, Muscogee County, Ga., April 1, 1846. Republican. Member of Alabama state house of representatives, 1870; member of Alabama state senate, 1872; delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 1872 (alternate), 1876; U.S. Representative from Alabama 1st District, 1875-77. African ancestry. Killed by wild animals near Denver (unknown county), Colo., about 1916 (age about 70 years). Burial location unknown.

John Paul Clarke (1880-1920) — also known as J. Paul Clarke — of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Fla. Born in Crown Point, Essex County, N.Y., October 7, 1880. Republican. Snake handler; taxidermist; postmaster at West Palm Beach, Fla., 1910-13; a prankster, he often left snakes in post office boxes and mailbags, to scare people. Bitten by a harlequin or coral snake, and died nineteen hours later, in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Fla., December 25, 1920 (age 40 years, 79 days). Interment at Woodlawn Cemetery, West Palm Beach, Fla.

		Relatives: Son of Rev. Almon Taylor Clarke and Marietta Thankful (Whitney) Clarke; brother of Lena Marietta Thankful Clarke.
		See also Find-A-Grave memorial

Elmer Severson (1922-1999) — of Montana. Born in Anoka, Anoka County, Minn., May 3, 1922. Served in the U.S. Army during World War II; member of Montana state house of representatives, 1977-79; member of Montana state senate, 1979-90. Suffered spinal cord injuries when he "lost a tussle with a cow," and died as a result, in a hospital at Missoula, Missoula County, Mont., July 19, 1999 (age 77 years, 77 days). Cremated.

"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872

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	The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.
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