He was the clerk of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1876 to 1878.[4][1] In 1884, Govan was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing Pike County.[1][4] Govan was elected to be the Secretary of State of Mississippi as a Democrat in 1885 for the 1886–1890 term and was inaugurated on January 14, 1886.[4][5] He was re-elected in 1889 and was re-inaugurated in 1890.[5] The Mississippi Constitutional Convention of 1890 increased his term length from four to six years, making ten years of office in total.[5] Govan was succeeded in the office by John Logan Power on January 20, 1896.[4][5]
Later life
In spring 1898, he was commissioned colonel of the First Mississippi Volunteers during the Spanish-American War.[1] He served until later in that same year.[1] He died in a hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 14, 1899.[3][6]
Personal life
Govan married Jane B. Edmondson in Elyton, Alabama, on February 26, 1865.[2] They had three children together: Andrew R., Eliza, and John H.[2]