Lucien Coatsworth Gause

Lucien Coatsworth Gause (December 25, 1836 – November 5, 1880) was an American lawyer, politician, and military veteran who served as a Democratic Representative from Arkansas in the United States Congress from 1875 to 1879. Born near Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee, he moved with his family in early life to Arkansas, where he would establish his legal and political career. His life and service spanned the tumultuous decades before, during, and after the Civil War, and his congressional tenure coincided with the closing years of Reconstruction.

Gause received his early education in the common schools and pursued higher studies in law. He studied at the University of Virginia, where he prepared for the legal profession, and subsequently completed his legal training in Tennessee. After being admitted to the bar, he commenced the practice of law in Jacksonport, Arkansas. His legal work in Jacksonport, an important river town and commercial center in northeastern Arkansas, helped establish his reputation as a capable attorney and provided a foundation for his later public service.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Gause entered the Confederate States Army, reflecting the allegiance of much of Arkansas and the broader region at that time. He served as an officer in the Confederate forces, and his military experience during the conflict contributed to his standing in postwar Arkansas politics. After the war, he resumed the practice of law in Jacksonport and became active in the rebuilding of civil and political institutions in the state during the Reconstruction era.

Gause’s political career advanced as Arkansas reestablished its representation in the federal government. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served two consecutive terms from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1879, representing an Arkansas congressional district. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as the nation grappled with the end of Reconstruction, the reintegration of the former Confederate states, and the evolving status of civil and political rights in the South. As a member of the House of Representatives, Lucien Coatsworth Gause participated in the legislative process, contributed to debates of the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses, and represented the interests of his Arkansas constituents within the Democratic caucus.

During his tenure, Gause took part in the ordinary work of legislation at a time when issues such as federal appropriations, internal improvements, and the adjustment of wartime and postwar claims were prominent. His role as a Southern Democrat placed him among those seeking to restore local control in the former Confederate states and to shape federal policy in ways favorable to regional economic recovery. While not among the most nationally prominent figures of his era, he was a recognized participant in the democratic process and in the reassertion of Arkansas’s voice in national affairs following the disruptions of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

After leaving Congress in 1879, Gause returned to Arkansas and resumed the practice of law. He continued to be identified with the Democratic Party and with the professional and civic life of his community. His post-congressional years were brief, as his death followed soon after the conclusion of his federal service. Lucien Coatsworth Gause died on November 5, 1880, in Jacksonport, Arkansas. His career, encompassing legal practice, Confederate military service, and two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, reflected the experiences of many Southern political leaders who navigated the transition from antebellum America through civil war and into the complex politics of Reconstruction and its aftermath.