Governors Who Have Been, and Other Public Men of Texas
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PD Commons Governors Who Have Been Other PuWic Men of Texas By NORMAN G. KITTRELL ^* 97 6.4 K64g 1997314 REYNOLDS HISTORICAL 3ENEALOGY COLLECTLON PD Books ALLEN PDCOUNTY CommonsPUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1 833 02439 1648 PD Books PD Commons PD Books PD Commons Vo'i^man ^. J/(ittM(f PD Books PD Commons Governors Who Have Been, and Other Public Men of Texas By NORMAN G. KITTRELL HOUSTON, TEXAS DEALY-ADEY-ELGIN CO. PUBLISHERS 1921 Copyrighted 1921 By Normau G. Kittrell Houston, Texas PD Books PD Commons ISS In ®okftt of Affprtion "Which cannot be told in words, or shadowed forth in language." THIS HUMBLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO MY WIFE Louisa Blackledge Kittrell In whose veins,—and in the veins of our children,—I am proud to know there flows blood kindred to that which flowed in the veins of "Davy" Crockett, who with his heroic comrades on Sunday morning, March 6th, 1836, consecrated the Alamo to historic memories forever when they lifted the standard of human valor to a height never before or never since reached, wrote in their own blood their own passports to immortality, and by their matchless hero- ism—using the language of one who was once Governor of Texas: "Taught mankind the lesson of earth's ^ loftiest martyrdom." PD Books PD Commons ifnb^x tn CljapterH Chapter I. Early Legislators and J. Pinkney Henderson 9 Chapter II. Ashbel Smith 16 Chapter III. George T. Wood, P. H. Bell, E. M. Pease, John W. Harris- ... 24 Chapter IV. Sam Houston, H. R. Runnels, Edward Clark 29 Chapter V. Frank R. Lubbock 32 Chapter VI. Oran Milo Roberts 37 Chapter VII. Pendleton Murrah 45 Chapter VIII. Andrew J. Hamilton, J. W. Throckmorton, Edmund J. Davis 46 Chapter IX. State Convention of 1873, and The "Semicolon Case" 55 Chapter X. Richard Coke 61 Chapter XL State Convention of 1876, and some of the nominees 68 Chapter XII. Richard B. Hubbard and others 78 Chapter XIII. T. R. Bonner as Speaker of the House and D.U. Barziza 84 Chapter XIV. John Ireland and G. W. Jones 89 Chapter XV. L. S. Ross and D. C. Giddings 95 Chapter XVI. James S. Hogg 100 Chapter XVII. Gustave Cook, Soldier—Orator—Wit—Jurist 106 Chapter XVIII. State Convention of 1894, and John H. Reagan 112 Chapter XIX. Chas. A. Culberson, J. W. Bailey and Joseph D. Sayers 118 Chapter XX. S. W. T. Lanham 124 Chapter XXI. Thomas M. Campbell, Oscar B. Colquitt, Jas. E. Ferguson 12" Thomas H. Ball Chapter XXII. William P. Hobby and Pat M. Neff 132 INDEX TO CHAPTERS—Continued. Chapter XXIII. Early Texans and Their Descendants 134 Chapter XXIV. East Texas Men 140 Chapter XXV. The Judiciary of Texas 170 Chapter XXVI. Judiciary, continued 178 Chapter XXVII. Judiciary, continued 183 Chapter XXVIII. Judiciary, continued 190 Chapter XXIX. The Supreme Court on Its Own Disqualification 202 Chapter XXX. The Court of Civil Appeals 204 Chapter XXXI. The Commission of Appeals 206 Chapter XXXII. Alexander Watkins Terrell 208 Chapter XXXIII. Court of Criminal Appeals 211 Chapter XXXIV. The Tragedy, The Pathos, and The Humor of the Court Room 219 Chapter XXXV. Memories of the Court Room 247 Chapter XXXVI. Memories of the Bench on the Circuit 276 Chapter XXXVII. The Trial Court and the Upper Court 281 Chapter XXXVIII. The State and the Defendant 285 Chapter XXXIX. Legal Victories 290 Chapter XL. The Court, the Bar, and the People 295 PD Books PD Commons Jfnr^mnrb This modest volume is neither historical or biographical in the ordinary acceptation of those terms, but is a record of incidents and events associated with those whose characters, and whose services to Texas, render them worthy to have their memories perpetuated. The reading of it will reveal no attempt at "fine writing" or any studied order of arrangement. The writing was done ciirrente calamo as incidents were re- called, or memories recurred to my mind. It is the fruit of labor done in the early morning hours, and far in the night, and in other hours which did not belong to my employer, the State. I thought it would be worth the time and toil to perpetuate such incidents and events in the lives of many of the men whose names are honorably associated with the history of Texas, as would inform this generation what manner of men they w-ere. The present is always debtor to the past, and this generation is debtor to their generation beyond its ability ever to pay. The unofficial actions of men, and purely personal incidents in their lives, often serve to reveal more clearly their true char- acters than do their public actions; therefore, I have set down incidents, historical, tragic, pathetic and humorous, but not one that even remotely reflects unkindly upon any man. It seemed to me, too, that brief sketches upon such cognate themes as the summary of contents reveals, might prove inter- esting, amusing, and perhaps instructive. There will not be found in the book a line or word to which any living man, or the friends of any dead man, can take exception; because it is free from anything controversial, and free of even the semblance of criticism. My father w^as in public life in Texas as long as sixty-five years ago, and much that I have set down I heard from his lips- It seemed to me most fitting that the frontispiece should be the "counterfeit presentment" of the majestic and impressive figure of him whose name and whose deeds are woven in imperishable colors in the very warp and woof of the history of Texas. I deem it proper to state that delay in publication for something like three months after the "copy" was ready for the printer was the result of causes which were entirely beyond the control of either the publishers or myself. The fruit of my often-interrupted and desultory labor, pro- duced almost wholly from memory, is put forth in book form with the hope and belief that it will be accorded by every fair and generous reader that measure of charity which its many imper- fections will demand. NORMAN G. KITTRELL. Houston, Texas, Sept. 15, 1921. PD Books PD Commons GOVERNORS WHO HAVE BEEN, AND OTHER PUBLIC MEN OF TEXAS. CHAPTER I. This is being written just as Texas has passed through the throes of a second primary election, and when she faces the ordeal of the final campaign preceding the determinative election of Gov- ernor, in November, and it appears to me to be an opportune time to recall the memories which cluster about the names of those who have held the office of Governor in days gone by, but whom death has removed from the stage of action. There were some remarkable men among them, and while some of them passed away before I ever heard of them, or was old enough to remember, traditions concerning them still linger, and it has been but a few years since many men were living in Texas who knew all of the early Governors of the State. I do not recall that I ever saw any of them. The first Governor that I ever saw, except Sam Houston, was Hardin R. Runnels, and I saw him when I was but a mere lad. The proportion of Texans to become Governor has, of course, been very small; but there were many other men of conspicuous ability, and high character, who at the bar, on the bench, and in other spheres of honorable activity, so lived and wrought as to render their names and lives worthy examples of patriotic and honorable service. It has been said that biography is at once the most interesting and most instructive form of literature, but it is not my purpose to attempt to write a biography, or even a biographical sketch of any man. My only purpose is to set down in simple form, with- out any attempt at literary adornment, such traditions as I re- call, and such memories as occur to me, and such incidents as I have heard were connected with the names of some of those who lived nobly, served faithfully, and "passed on." Some diversion and relief from the ceaseless labor of judicial position is necessary, and I hope to find it in writing currente calamo, in those hours which do not belong to my employer, the State. There were instances in the lives of many public men in the early days of Texas, some of which were pathetic, some amusing, some heroic, but all of which served to reveal what manner of 10 GOVERNORS WHO HAVE BEEN men they were, better and more clearly than did their oflQcial actions. My father, nearly seventy years ago, was in public life in Texas, as he had been in North Carolina and Alabama at an earlier day. He served in the Legislature of Texas with many public men whose names are enduringly graven on the pages of Texas his- tory. In his day and time it was considered a greater honor to go to the Legislature than it is now considered to go to Congress, and the Legislature of that day, in point of ability, and all the essential equipments of statesmanship, stood second to none in the United States. The mileage and per diem was given no con- sideration, and if I recall correctly, there was no limit to the length of the session. Many of the members drove from their homes in carriages, and kept their carriages and body servants here in Austin during the entire session.