William Washington Larsen

William Washington Larsen (August 12, 1871 – January 5, 1938) was a United States Representative from Georgia and a member of the Democratic Party who served eight consecutive terms in Congress from 1917 to 1933. He was born in Hagan, Evans County, Georgia, on August 12, 1871. Larsen attended the Bryan Institute in Lanier, Georgia, the South Georgia Military Academy in Thomasville, Georgia, and later studied at the University of Georgia in Athens, although he did not complete a degree.

After leaving the University of Georgia, Larsen taught school in 1895 before turning to the study of law. He was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1897 and began practicing law in Swainsboro, Georgia. In addition to his legal work, he served in the Georgia National Guard as a second lieutenant in the Swainsboro Guards, Company C, from 1900 to 1904, reflecting an early commitment to public service and civic responsibility.

Larsen’s local public career advanced rapidly in Swainsboro. In 1899, he became prosecuting attorney for the city court of Swainsboro, a position he held until 1905. During this period he also entered municipal government, serving as a member of the city council and as mayor pro tempore of Swainsboro from 1905 to 1909. Active in Democratic Party politics, he was a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1902, 1906, and 1912. From 1910 to 1912 he served as secretary of the executive department of the state of Georgia, a senior administrative post in the state government. In January 1912, Larsen moved to Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia, where he resumed the practice of law, engaged in farming, and continued to build his public profile. He was appointed judge of the superior courts of the Dublin judicial circuit, serving in that capacity in 1914 and 1915.

Larsen also developed a long association with higher education governance in Georgia. In 1912 he became a member of the board of trustees of the Georgia State Normal School in Athens, serving on that board until 1927. His work there connected him to statewide educational policy at a time when Georgia was expanding and reorganizing its public institutions of learning.

In 1916, Larsen was elected as a Democrat to the 65th United States Congress from Georgia’s newly created 12th congressional district and took his seat on March 4, 1917. He was reelected to seven succeeding Congresses, serving continuously until March 3, 1933. Over the course of his eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, his service coincided with major national developments, including American participation in World War I, the postwar period, the onset of the Great Depression, and the early responses to the economic crisis. As a member of the House of Representatives, William Washington Larsen participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his constituents in Georgia’s 12th district, and contributed to the work of the Democratic Party during a significant period in American history. He did not seek reelection in 1932 after congressional reapportionment, following the 1930 census, reduced Georgia’s representation in the U.S. House from twelve to ten seats and resulted in the elimination of the 12th district.

Following his departure from Congress, Larsen continued to play a prominent role in public affairs and educational administration. In 1927 he had joined the board of trustees of the University of Georgia, and he remained a member as that body was reorganized into the Georgia Board of Regents on January 1, 1932. He continued to serve on the Board of Regents through 1938, helping oversee the governance of the state’s university system. From 1933 until his resignation in 1936, Larsen worked as a regional manager for the Farm Credit Administration, headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, participating in federal efforts to stabilize and support American agriculture during the New Deal era.

In 1937, Larsen was appointed to the Georgia Unemployment Insurance Commission, where he served until his death. He died in Dublin, Georgia, on January 5, 1938, while still active in state public service and in higher education governance. William Washington Larsen was interred in Northview Cemetery in Dublin, closing a career that spanned local, state, and national office over more than four decades.