G. L. P. Wren

George Lovick Pierce
"G. L. P." Wren
George Lovick Pierce; "G. L. P." Wren
Louisiana State Representative; for Webster Parish
	In office; 1884–1892
Preceded by	Irvin Talton
Succeeded by	Nicholas J. Sandlin
Louisiana State Senator for Bienville, Bossier, Claiborne, and Webster parishes
	In office; 1892–1896
Preceded by	William Washington Vance; John R. Phipps
Succeeded by	Thomas Wafer Fuller; J. A. W. Lowry
Personal details
Born	January 10, 1836; Putnam County, Georgia, USA
Died	February 8, 1901 (aged 65); Minden, Webster Parish; Louisiana, USA
Resting place	Pine Grove Cemetery in Webster Parish
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Ellen Carr Wren
Children	Robert Lee Wren; Lovick Pierce Wren; Atticus Asbury Wren; Marcus Dee Wren Sr.; Floyd Carr Wren; Ernest Septimus Wren; Ava Gertrude Wren
Alma mater	Emory University
Occupation	Farmer; lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	8th Louisiana Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War

George Lovick Pierce Wren, known as G. L. P. Wren (January 10, 1836 – February 8, 1901), was a native Georgian[1] who served from 1884 to 1892 as a Democrat in the Louisiana House of Representatives as the sole member from his adopted Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. His tenure corresponded with the administrations of Governors Samuel Douglas McEnery and Francis T. Nicholls.[2]

Background

Wren was born in Oxford in Putnam County in central Georgia but relocated in 1848 to Minden, the seat of government of Webster Parish, where he lived until his death at the age of sixty-five. He studied law at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He taught school briefly in Arizona, Louisiana, east of Homer in Claiborne Parish.[3]

Wren was a second lieutenant in the Louisiana infantry of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.[1] He enlisted at Camp Moore in Tangipahoa Parish with the "Minden Blues" for a period of twelve months. Nicholas Sandlin had also been part of "The Blues". He fought in the Battle of Antietam. He was twice wounded and twice captured. From 1864 to 1865, he was a prisoner of war at Fort Delaware in Delaware. Released after he swore an oath to support the government of the United States, he returned to Webster Parish where he engaged thereafter in farming.[4]

He and his wife, the former Ellen Carr (1846-1941), a native of Chambers County in eastern Alabama, had seven children, Robert Lee Wren (1869-1871), Livick Pierce Wren (1871-1956), Atticus Asbury Wren (1874-1939), Marcus Dee Wren Sr. (1876-1952), Floyd Carr Wren (1880-1967), Ernest Septimus Wren (1882-1887), and Ava Gertrude Wren (1885-1950).[5] When an African American beat young Ernest Wren to death, G.L.P. Wren refused the assistance of a vigilante posse, saying, "we must let the law take its course." On his son's death, Wren proclaimed the biblical "peace that passeth all understanding."[3]

Career

From 1892 to 1896, he and W. A. Stroud represented Bienville, Bossier, Claiborne, and Webster parishes in the Louisiana State Senate during the first term of Governor Murphy J. Foster Sr.[6]

In 1892, Senator Wren fought with the assistance of Representative Nicholas J. Sandlin of Minden to abolish the Louisiana State Lottery Company.[7] As a state senator, Wren sided with Governor Foster in opposition to the lottery. When offered a $25,000 bribe by the lottery forces, Wren remained steadfast on principle.[3]

Son Marcus Wren represented Minden on the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body, from 1920 to 1925.[8] Dr. Floyd Wren graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and practiced dentistry in Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, where he was the mayor, and in Winnfield in Winn Parish, where he was a member of the city council, the school board, and was the registrar of voters from 1940 to 1948. He retired from dentistry in 1945 because of arthritis and operated a dairy in Winnfield for a number of years thereafter. Dr. Wren and his wife are interred at Winnfield Cemetery.[9] Grandson Marcus Dee Wren Jr. (born 1924), is a retired dairyman and tree farmer in Webster Parish.He was named "Dairyman of the Year" in 1976.[10] His wife, Gay Stewart Wren (1928-2011), was a granddaughter of William G. Stewart, namesake of the former William G. Stewart Elementary School in Minden.[11]

Wren, his wife, and other family members are interred at Pine Gove Methodist Cemetery north of Minden.[1]

External Links

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University: George Lovick Pierce Wren diaries, 1858-1864

References

"George Lovich Pierce Wren". findagrave.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
"Membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812 - Current: Webster Parish" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
Sam Mims, "Hon. G.L.P. Wren: Soldier, Farmer, Legislator: Old Civil War Journal Found; Tells of Struggle and Privation for South's Lost Cause; Twice Wounded, Twice Captured; Champion of People against Louisiana Lottery; Refused to Become Wealthy by Bribe," Minden Signal-Tribune and Springhill Journal, December 31, 1934, pp. 1, 3, 6, 7
"George Lovich Pierce Wren". wrenacres.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
"Ellen Carr Wren". findagrave.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
"Membership of the Louisiana State Senate since 1880: Bienville, Bossier, Claiborne, and Webster parishes" (PDF). senate.la.gov. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
John A. Agan (2010). Echoes of Our Past: The Civil War Years in Minden. Lulu.com. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-557-56490-3. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
Respect for the Past; Confidence in the Future: Webster Parish Centennial, Webster Parish Police Jury, 1971, p. 13
"Dr. Floyd Carr Wren". The Winn Parish News-American. February 16, 1967. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
"Minden is proud of Wren", Minden Press-Herald, April 7, 1976, p. 1
"Gay Stewart Wren". The Shreveport Times. May 8, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2015.

Preceded by Irvin Talton	Louisiana State Representative for Webster Parish George Lovich Pierce "G. L. P." Wren 1884—1892	Succeeded by Nicholas J. Sandlin
Preceded by William Washington Vance John R. Phipps	Louisiana State Senator for Bossier and Webster parishes George Lovich Pierce "G. L. P." Wren (alongside W. A. Stroud) 1892—1896	Succeeded by Thomas Wafer Fuller J. A. W. Lowry

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[findagrave-1] "George Lovich Pierce Wren". findagrave.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.

[2] "Membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812 - Current: Webster Parish" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2015.

[smims-3] Sam Mims, "Hon. G.L.P. Wren: Soldier, Farmer, Legislator: Old Civil War Journal Found; Tells of Struggle and Privation for South's Lost Cause; Twice Wounded, Twice Captured; Champion of People against Louisiana Lottery; Refused to Become Wealthy by Bribe," Minden Signal-Tribune and Springhill Journal, December 31, 1934, pp. 1, 3, 6, 7

[4] "George Lovich Pierce Wren". wrenacres.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.

[5] "Ellen Carr Wren". findagrave.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.

[6] "Membership of the Louisiana State Senate since 1880: Bienville, Bossier, Claiborne, and Webster parishes" (PDF). senate.la.gov. Retrieved March 12, 2015.

[7] John A. Agan (2010). Echoes of Our Past: The Civil War Years in Minden. Lulu.com. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-557-56490-3. Retrieved March 13, 2015.

[8] Respect for the Past; Confidence in the Future: Webster Parish Centennial, Webster Parish Police Jury, 1971, p. 13

[9] "Dr. Floyd Carr Wren". The Winn Parish News-American. February 16, 1967. Retrieved March 12, 2015.

[10] "Minden is proud of Wren", Minden Press-Herald, April 7, 1976, p. 1

[11] "Gay Stewart Wren". The Shreveport Times. May 8, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2015.