Texas Governors and Their Times
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The Governor's Mansion
Governor’s Mansion, Luck Bros., about 1919. Places Collection, 1/103-80. Prints and Photographs.
Before there was a dedicated residence for Texas governors in the capital city of Austin, elected officials rented houses nearby or rooms in boarding houses or hotels down Congress Avenue while the legislature was in session. While the Texas Constitution of 1845 included a home for the governor, construction did not begin until 1854. This meant the first four elected governors—James Pinckney Henderson, George T. Wood, Peter Hansborough Bell, and J.W. Henderson—all lived in temporary quarters while in Austin serving their terms in office. The wives and families of these early leaders remained in their hometowns and generally did not travel to the capital with their spouses for state business.
Construction on the Governor’s Mansion began in 1854 during the administration of Elisha M. Pease, who rented lodging until the completion of the residence in 1856. The original site selected was on the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, but more space was needed. A new site was chosen, and this is its current location between Colorado and Lavaca and Eleventh and Tenth Streets. Governor Pease invited the public to attend a party for the opening on August 23, 1856. Though the original structure still stands, updates such as running water and air conditioning have been added over time. Designed by Abner Cook, the building style is an example of the popular Greek Revival architecture of the nineteenth century represented in historic homes such as U.S. President Andrew Jackson’s in Tennessee and the White House in the nation’s capital.
![The Governor’s Mansion; Residence of Mr. J.H. Raymond [1008 West Sixth], 1894. Art Work of Austin, 1/002-14,15. Prints and Photographs.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/governorsandtheirtimes/0001%20002%2015%20400%20rgb%20E10kxl775.jpg "The Governor’s Mansion; Residence of Mr. J.H. Raymond [1008 West Sixth], 1894. Art Work of Austin, 1/002-14,15. Prints and Photographs.")
The Governor’s Mansion; Residence of Mr. J.H. Raymond [1008 West Sixth], 1894.
Art Work of Austin, 1/002-14,15. Prints and Photographs. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
In 1854, Texas Governor Elisha M. Pease, State Treasurer James H. Raymond, and State Comptroller James B. Shaw served as commissioners to plan and oversee the construction of an executive mansion. The commissioners admired the Greek Revival style of architecture and contracted with an architect known for this style, Abner Cook, to build the new residence for the governor. All three men also resided in homes in the Austin area designed by Cook which featured similar architectural elements, such as Ionic columns and balcony railing supports resembling bundles of wheat. The similarities are apparent in the 1894 photos of the James H. Raymond home and Governor’s Mansion published in Art Work of Austin. Cook also built Shaw’s home, called Woodlawn, in 1853. Governor Pease went on to purchase Woodlawn for his family home in 1859. Almost a century later, the tradition of governors purchasing this home continued when Governor Allan Shivers bought Woodlawn in 1957.
![Southwest from the Capitol, 1894. Art Work of Austin, 1/002-27. Prints and Photographs. View of the Governor’s Mansion and fenced-in grounds in 1894. [Reproduction].](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/governorsandtheirtimes/0001%20002%2027%20400%20rgb%20E10kxl787.jpg "Southwest from the Capitol, 1894. Art Work of Austin, 1/002-27. Prints and Photographs. View of the Governor’s Mansion and fenced-in grounds in 1894. [Reproduction].")
Southwest from the Capitol, 1894. Art Work of Austin, 1/002-27. Prints and Photographs.
View of the Governor’s Mansion and fenced-in grounds in 1894. [Reproduction]. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Receipt of Battaile, Cain & Co to Governor E. J. Davis, Austin, Texas, September 22, 1870. John W. Glenn Accounts, Box 2-22/975. Front of Receipt. Back of Receipt. Click or tap on images and links to view larger versions.
Receipt for order of coffee, sugar, and “various” delivered by wagon from Brenham to the Governor’s Mansion in Austin in 1870.
Ledger, Accounts, August 1870-February 1874. Texas Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings Records, Box 2020/014-1. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
This ledger documents the spending on the Governor’s Mansion, including for repairs, supplies, and furnishings.
Photographs of mementos, about 1984. Images Reproduced in The Governor’s Mansion, Chapter 11, Jean Houston Daniel Texas Governor's Mansion Collection, Box 1987/173-23. Cup and set pieces. Shakespeare edition. Click or tap on images and links to view larger versions.
Silver baby cup used by the Houston children; two dresser set pieces which belonged to Mrs. Sam Houston;
Shakespeare edition gifted to Governor Pease in Christmas of 1856.
Photograph of front hallway, about 1984. Images Reproduced in The Governor’s Mansion, Chapter 11. Jean Houston Daniel Texas Governor's Mansion Collection, Box 1987/173-23. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Jean Houston Daniel, a great-great-granddaughter of Sam Houston, developed an interest in the history of the executive mansion while residing there as first lady to Governor Price Daniel in 1957. She began researching and writing about the mansion and eventually brought in the assistance of her husband and an Austin writer named Dorothy Blodgett to produce a comprehensive book. The research materials contain extensive information about the mansion, including photographs of the interiors, furniture, and mementos.
Inventory of the Public Property of Executive Mansion, January 18-19, 1870. Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, and Image 4. Click or tap images and links to view larger versions.
Texas Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings Records, Box 2020/014-1. Descriptions of furniture and other items in the Governor’s Mansion in 1870.
Brochure, The Texas Governor’s Mansion, by Jean and Price Daniel and Dorothy Blodgett, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 1984. Jean Houston Daniel Texas Governor's Mansion Collection, Box 2000/137-1. Front and back. Inside Pages. Click or tap on images or links to view larger versions.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission published in 1984 The Governor’s Mansion: A History of the House and Its Occupants by former Texas Governor Price Daniel, his wife Jean Houston Price Daniel, and Dorothy Blodgett.
“The Governor’s Mansion of Texas and Its Furnishings,” by Marcelle Lively-Hamer, Austin, Texas, 1937. TSLAC Main Collection, 917.64 H178g. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
The author wrote this brief history of the Governor’s Mansion at the request of the first lady at the time, Jo Betsy Miller Allred. James V. Allred served two terms as governor from 1935-1939.
"Bird's Eye View of the City of Austin, Travis County, Texas."
Drawing by Augustus Koch, 1873. Click or tap on image to
view larger version.
Mabel H. Brooks Photograph Collection, 1932/005-46.
The capital city of Austin as it appeared in the 1870s.
The Governor’s Mansion, undated. Photographs, Graham (R. Niles) Collection, 1964/306-620. Click or tap on image to
view larger version.
“Christmas greetings from the Allreds” sent to the Graham family. James V. Allred served two terms as governor of Texas from 1935-1939. Richard Niles Graham was the grandson of Governor Elisha Pease, and the Graham-Pease family were prominent leaders in Austin.