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Chief
Executives
by Archie P. McDonald
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East Texas has produced its share of prominent personages in entertainment,
business, medicine, and other professions but prominent political figures have
tended to call other sections of the state their home, especially in the last
half century. It started out differently.
James W. Robinson
of Nacogdoches served as
lieutenant governor of Texas during the interim administration of Henry Smith
of Brazoria, which existed between the first and second meetings of the Consultation
in colonial times.
These meetings were held to determine if Texicans
should continue to work for reform under Mexico or seek independence in November
1835 and March 1836. Robinson became acting governor when Smith was removed from
office by his quarrelsome council on January 10, 1836, and served until March
17, when David G. Burnett was named the ad interim president of the Republic.
James Pinckney Henderson, the first elected governor of the State of Texas
(1846-1847), lived in San
Augustine and had a law office there and also in Nacogdoches.
The second elected governor, George T. Wood (1847-1849), lived in a portion
of Liberty County later designated as San Jacinto County.
East Texas claims
Sam Houston (1859-1861), because his first home in Texas was in Nacogdoches,
and his lieutenant governor, Edward Clark (1861) of Harrison County, who
succeeded Houston on an ad interim basis when the Hero of San Jacinto refused
to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.
James Stephen Hogg
(1891-1895), who was born in Rusk
and edited newspapers is other East Texas cities, is definitely associated with
East Texas, as is another newspaperman, William P. Hobby (1917-1921), if
we count Houston in East Texas. Charles Culberson (1895-1899) lived in
Marion County.
Beauford Jester of Corsicana
(1947-1949) was an East Texan, and so was his lieutenant governor and successor
as governor, Allan Shivers (1949-1957). Shivers was our MOST East Texan
governor — born in Lufkin, raised
in Woodville, and then lived
in Port Arthur before
moving to Austin.
We also claim
Price Daniel (1957-1963), of Liberty County, and can stretch a bit and
include William P. Clements (1979-1983; 1987-1991), who is associated with
Dallas and Forney, and perhaps Mark
White (1983-1987), with associations with Kilgore
or Houston.
Reckon it is about
time to have an East Texan again? |
© Archie P. McDonald
All
Things Historical
June
20, 2005 column
A syndicated column in over 40 East Texas newspapers
(Distributed as a public service by the East Texas Historical Association. Archie
P. McDonald is director of the Association and author of more than 20 books on
Texas.)
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