Fort Towson

Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855 – March 19, 1925) was an American political figure and Democrat who served as the 21st Governor of Texas from 1895 to 1899, and as a United States senator from Texas from 1899 to 1923.

Early life and education

Charles Allen Culberson was born on June 10, 1855, in Dadeville, Alabama, to Eugenia (née Kimbal) and David Browning Culberson. His father was a Democratic politician. Culberson's family moved to Texas in 1856, settling first in Gilmer and later in Jefferson.[1][2]

Culberson attended Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 1874, and subsequently studied law under his father and then at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1876 and 1877. In 1877 he was admitted to the bar in Daingerfield, Texas, and commenced practice in Jefferson, later moving to Dallas in 1887.[1][2] He was a member of the Jefferson Literacy Society and the Moot Court at the University of Virginia.[2]

Law career

Culberson started practicing law in Marion County in 1877. He was known for overturning a verdict for a man convicted of murder under the Ku Klux Law of Texas, and causing the law to be labeled as unconstitutional.[2][3]

Political career

Texas state politics

Culberson's political career began with his election as Attorney General of Texas in 1890, a position he held until 1895, after campaigning for and winning the governor's race in November 1894. After two terms as governor, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat on January 25, 1899.[1]

Senate tenure

Culberson's former residence (right) in Washington, D.C.

Early during his tenure, he served on the Lodge Committee investigating war crimes in the Philippine–American War. Later, he chaired several senate committees, including the judiciary committee, which he chaired from 1913 to 1919. Culberson was opposed to demands for racial equality, stating that efforts to do so would lead to the "consequent debasement, degradation or destruction of the white race".[4]

Culberson was reelected in 1905, 1911, and, again, by popular vote in 1916, when health problems and alcoholism prevented him from campaigning in Texas but did not prevent his reelection. However, his health and opposition to the Ku Klux Klan finally led to the loss of his seat in the Democratic primary in 1922.[1][5]

He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Earle Bradford Mayfield, the outgoing member of the Texas Railroad Commission.[6]

Sallie Harrison Culberson and daughter Mary

Personal life

Culberson married Sallie Harrison on December 7, 1882. They had one daughter, Mary Harrison.[2][3]

Culberson lived in retirement until his death from pneumonia in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 1925. He is buried in East Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.[1]

Culberson was a distant cousin of John Culberson, who represented Texas' 7th congressional district between 2001 and 2019.

References

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Texas
1891–1895
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas
1894, 1896
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus
1907–1909
Succeeded by
First Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Texas
(Class 1)

1916
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Texas
1895–1899
Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Texas
1899–1923
Served alongside: Horace Chilton, Joseph Bailey, Rienzi Johnston, Morris Sheppard
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Library Accommodations Committee
1909–1911
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Public Health Committee
1911–1913
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee
1912–1919
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Private Land Claims Committee
1919–1921
Position abolished