William Hodges Mann

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William Hodges Mann (July 30, 1843 – December 12, 1927) was an American lawyer, Confederate veteran, and Democratic politician who became the 46th Governor of Virginia, serving from 1910 to 1914. He was the last Confederate veteran to hold that office.

Early life and education
Mann was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, to John and Mary Hunter Bowers Mann. He had an older brother, Edwin Murray Mann, who also became a judge. After his father died, his mother remarried. Mann attended local schools, including Williamsburg Academy and Brownsburg Academy. He began working as Deputy Clerk of Nottoway County when he was 16.

Civil War service
In 1861, Mann joined the Confederate Army as a private in the 12th Virginia Infantry. He fought in several campaigns, including the Battle of Seven Pines, where he was seriously wounded. While recovering, he worked briefly as a clerk in the Confederate Treasury. He later served as a scout behind Union lines, was captured in 1863 but escaped, and fought again during the Siege of Petersburg. After the war, he returned to civilian life and read law.

Legal career and politics
Mann began practicing law in Nottoway County in 1867. He entered politics and became involved with the Democratic Party, including the Martin Organization led by Thomas Staples Martin. In 1890, he was elected judge of Nottoway County, though his time on the bench was brief. In 1899, he was elected to the Virginia Senate, representing the 28th district. He served as the chairman of the committee to revise Virginia laws. In 1906, he proposed funding to build many high schools, reflecting his interest in education. He also supported state-level Prohibition; the so-called “Mann Law” closed about 800 saloons.

Governor of Virginia
Mann was elected governor in 1909 with about 63% of the vote, taking office on February 10, 1910. He was the last Confederate veteran to serve as Virginia’s governor. As governor, he continued to push for temperance and public education. He faced a controversial case in which he did not intervene to spare a teenage Black girl, Virginia Christian, who was executed for the murder of her white employer. In 1911, he attended the Manassas Peace Jubilee and shook hands with President William Howard Taft. He left office on February 1, 1914, and returned to his law practice in Nottoway County.

Later life and legacy
After leaving the governorship, Mann remained active in the Democratic Party and continued practicing law. He died on December 12, 1927, at the age of 84 in Petersburg, Virginia, and was buried in Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg. He was survived by his second wife, Etta Edloe Donnan Mann, and his son William Hodges Mann Jr., who would become a lawyer and serve as Petersburg’s mayor. The Library of Virginia holds his gubernatorial papers.