Texas Governors and Their Times
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War, Ruin, and Reconstruction
Attack of the Rebels Upon Our Gun Boat Flotilla at Galveston, Texas, January 1, 1863. Harper’s Weekly Confederate Images, 1965/036-7.
During the Civil War (1861-1865), between 70,000 and 90,000 Texans saw military service across every major campaign. Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark rose to the highest office after the removal of Sam Houston in 1861, followed by Francis Lubbock and Pendleton Murrah as wartime governors. The years immediately following the Civil War when the federal government was attempting to reunify the country became known as Reconstruction. The era was tumultuous as many sought to return Texas to its prewar situation instead of implementing the legal and social changes established when slavery was abolished. The U.S. military oversaw Southern governors for several years. Texas returned to civilian rule in March of 1870 after the legislature passed the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which ratified such Reconstruction policies as equal protection under the law for everyone and granting African American men the right to vote.
| List of Governors | |
| Clark, Edward | March 16, 1861 – November 7, 1861 |
| Lubbock, Francis R. | November 7, 1861 – November 5, 1863 |
| Murrah, Pendleton | November 5, 1863 – June 17, 1865 |
| Hamilton, Andrew J. | June 17, 1865 – August 9, 1866 |
| Throckmorton, James W. | August 9, 1866 – August 8, 1867 |
| Pease, Elisha M. | August 8, 1867 – September 30, 1869 |
| Davis, Edmund J. | January 8, 1870 – January 15, 1874 |
Rebel Attack Upon the Forty-Third Massachusetts Volunteers at Galveston, Texas. Harper’s Weekly Confederate Images, 1965/036-8.
Special Order No. 105, 5th Military District (New Orleans), July 30th, 1867. Texas Adjutant General’s Department Reconstruction records, Box 401-860. Image 1, Image 2. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
Under advisement from Major General Charles Griffin, Major General Philip Sheridan issued Special Order No. 105, removing Throckmorton as governor and replacing him with former Governor Elisha M. Pease. Throckmorton was barred from holding public office until the General Amnesty Act was passed in 1872.
Letter from Major General Sheridan to Gov. Throckmorton, October 16, 1866. Texas Governor James Webb Throckmorton records, Box 2014/061-2. Image 1, Image 2, and Image 3. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
After the end of the Civil War, Texans were still in need of troops for frontier defense. General Sheridan sent news of incoming federal reinforcements and stated that “…no distinction will be made in reference to color of soldiers wearing the uniform of the United States,” as formerly enslaved people were among the troops being sent.
Letter from Albert Pike, Commissioner of the C.S.A. to the Indians West of Arkansas, to Governor Lubbock, August 9, 1861. Texas Governor Francis Richard Lubbock records, Box 2014/092-1. Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4, Image 5, and Image 6. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
Pike reports on a peace treaty between the Confederacy and the Comanche, asking the governor to support his “experiment” to replace the Texan forces at Fort Cobb with Choctaw Confederate soldiers to ensure the successful settlement of the Comanche, who were resistant to the Texan soldiers after “the long continued hostilities between the Comanches and the people of Texas.
Letter from Santos Benavides to Governor Lubbock, December 28, 1861. Texas Governor Francis Richard Lubbock records, Box 2014/092-1. Image 1, Image 2, and Image 3. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
Becoming the highest-ranking Tejano to serve in the Confederacy, Benavides raised his own force, “Benavides’ Regiment,” comprised primarily of Tejanos from the Rio Grande border region. In this letter, he thanks Lubbock “for the interest you have taken in the company under my command and in the protection of this section of country.”
Letter from Thomas B. White to Governor Lubbock, March 20, 1862. Texas Governor Francis Richard Lubbock records, Box 2014/092-2. Image 1, Image 2. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
A letter expressing concerns about disloyalty among German residents of Austin County and their intention to resist the draft and to assist the enslaved population in rebellion in the event of Union invasion. Many German Texans suffered violence and death due to their pro-Union sentiments during the Civil War.
Petition on behalf of 20 out of 25 ladies of Sumpter (Trinity County) to Governor Lubbock, August 30, 1863. Image 1, Image 2. Texas Governor Francis Richard Lubbock records, Box 2014/092-5. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
The governor received many requests for exemptions from military service. Here, women from Sumpter, Texas, request the exemption of the town doctor, Dr. William Dixon, stating that “great suffering is anticipated very soon for want of medical aid.” Many of the women were left alone with children while their husbands were away at war.
Surrender of Ex-General Twiggs, Late of the United States Army, to the Texas Troops in the Gran Plaza, San Antonio, Texas, February 16, 1861. Harper’s Weekly Confederate Images,1965/036-9.
Seven Men Who Voted Against Secession, 1861, Prints and Photographs, Image 1966/122-1.
The Secession Convention, composed of 174 delegates, met on February 1, 1861, to vote on the issue of separation from the Union. Eight delegates voted against secession and seven are featured in this ambrotype taken to commemorate the event. Top row, left to right—Joshua Johnson, Lemuel H. Williams, James W. Throckmorton, A.P. Shuford. Bottom row, left to right—Thomas P. Hughes, George W. Wright, and William H. Johnson.
Oath of Allegiance “Support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” November 4, 1865. Broadsides and printed ephemera collection, Broadside 555. Image 1, Image 2. Click or tap on image and links to view larger versions.
Before a Confederate state could be re-admitted into the Union, a majority of citizens were required to take a loyalty oath. This oath, signed by Major Burke of Galveston, pledged loyalty to the United States and support for laws passed that emancipated slaves.
Announcing February 23, 1861 vote in favor of secession. Broadsides and printed ephemera collection, Broadside 252. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
San Antonio street scene thought to depict the surrender of Gen. Twiggs to Confederate authorities on Feb. 16, 1861. Ambrotype. Image 1/134-11B, Prints and Photographs.