1869 Texas Senate election

none October 2025 1869 Texas Senate election no Republican Party of Texas 19One moderate Republican was elected but was quickly replaced by a radical. 40,080 51.62% Texas legislative 1866 Texas Senate election 1866 1872 Texas Senate election 1872 All 30 seats in the Texas Senate 16 November 30, 1869 Texas Democratic Party 9 31,292 40.30% Independent 2Both Independents are listed as Democrats in some sources 6,279 8.09% 300px #F48882 Republican win #92C5DE Democratic win#999999 Independent win#D3D3D3 Non-district territory President Pro Tempore Donald Campbell Republican Radical Conservative Conservative The 1869 Texas Senate elections took place in tandem with the 1869 Texas gubernatorial election and the election for the ratification of a new state constitution as a part of Texas's readmission to the United States following the Civil War. Texas voters elected state senators in all 30 State Senate districts. The winners of this election served in the 12th Texas Legislature, holding staggered six-year terms. This was the first time the Republican Party had ever won a majority in the Texas Senate, and it would be the only time they would do so until 1996. 2 Background Texas underwent military occupation as a part of Reconstruction following the defeat of the Confederate States of America in the Civil War. The state adopted a new constitution in 1866 and held legislative elections, which were won primarily by conservative White Democrats. The legislature refused to adopt the Thirteenth Amendment and instead passed laws establishing "black codes" to attempt to maintain a system of white supremacy. This legislature was declared provisional after the passage of the First Reconstruction Act by Congress in 1867 as the state government underwent a full military takeover. Any elected official who had failed to take a "Test Oath" had been removed by April 1869. A new constitutional convention was called in June 1868, but it did not adjourn until February 1869. A new election was initially planned for the Spring, but it was not held until the end of the year. Elections for governor and the legislature were held concurrently with the election to ratify the state's new constitution.Association Texas State Historical Reconstruction Era in Texas: Political, Social, and Economic Changes https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/reconstruction 2025-10-08 Texas State Historical Association en Results Republicans won a majority of seats, securing nineteen while Democrats won nine. Two conservative independents also won seats.Spaw, p. 91 Two African Americans, George Ruby and Matthew Gaines, were among the Republicans elected, the first to do so in the state's history.https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/members/general/12RrosterTXAlmanac1870.pdf The Texas Almanac for 1870, and Emigrants Guide to TexasAssociation Texas State Historical The Evolution of the Texas Legislature: A Historical Overview https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-legislature 2025-10-09 Texas State Historical Association en Many of the other Republicans elected were scalawags, southern Whites who nonetheless sided with Reconstruction. Outside of regions with substantial freedman populations, Republicans also found voter support in the heavily German-immigrant Hill Country, as well as in West Texas.Foner Eric Eric Foner Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877 HarperCollins 2014 978-0-06-235451-8 Updated New York, NY 297–299 en Every elected Republican was considered a Radical Republican except for Andrew Evans, who was unseated in an election contest shortly after taking office and replaced by Radical Republican S.W. Ford.Spaw, p. 87 Close races Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%: # Senate district 4, 1.26% red Senate district 5, 1.60% red Senate district 30, 1.94% red Senate district 27, 2.04% red Senate district 18, 2.48% red Senate district 11, 2.59% blue Senate district 3, 2.98% red Senate district 24, 4.33% red Senate district 19, 5.47% red"RvR" Against another Republican. Senate district 8, 5.82% red Senate district 9, 6.14% blue Senate district 29, 7.90% red Senate district 13, 7.91% red"RvR" Senate district 12, 8.94% red Senate district 10, 9.13% blue Detailed results by district Candidates are not listed with political parties in the results. The parties of all victorious candidates are known, and the parties of others may be assumed by the presence of candidates running in the concurrent House election in the same district.Certified copy of a letter from J. J. Reynolds, Brevet Major General U.S.A. (1870), pp. 43–54 District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30__NOTOC__ District 1 thumb|Results by county #7996E2 Pickett #7996E2 50–60% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90% #e27f7f Thomas #e27f7f 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #ff9a50 Chambers #FEE5D5 30–40% #5FD35F Harrison #37C837 60–70% Colonel Edward Bradford Pickett, a lawyer and veteran of the Mexican–American War, was elected as a Democrat to represent the 1st district, based in the southeastern corner of the state. Pickett had previously been elected to the House of Representatives in 1860 before leading a volunteer company to fight for the Confederacy.Spaw, pp. 107–108District 1 election Democratic Party (United States) Edward Bradford Pickett 1,339 55.22% Republican Party (United States) J. H. Thomas 653 26.19% Republican Party (United States) William Chambers 235 9.69% Independent politician A. J. Harrison 197 8.12% Independent politician C. H. Jones 1 0.04% 2,425 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 2 Democrat Amos Clark was elected to represent the 2nd district, based in Nacogdoches. Over 70 years old at the time of his election, he was one of the oldest members of the legislature. He later died in office in 1871.Spaw, p. 92District 2 election Democratic Party (United States) Amos Clark 1,022 36.40% Republican Party (United States) D. S. Carnahan 685 24.39% Independent politician W. A. Reeves 629 22.40% Independent politician R. Waterhouse 472 16.81% 2,808 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 3 Republican Mijamin Priest, a Presbyterian pastor and former member of the Alabama House of Representatives, was elected to represent the 3rd district, covering Cherokee and Houston counties, in a highly contested race against Democrat James Eldrage Dillard. Priest had taken an amnesty oath following the Civil War, suggesting he had served in the Confederate military. Supporters of Dillard charged that the close election had been stolen by Priest, but Priest was nonetheless declared the victor. Priest refused to take the Ironclad Oath required to qualify for his seat initially and was declared ineligible for his office by the military government, but he would eventually qualify for the following called session in April 1870.Spaw, pp. 85–88 Priest resigned in late 1870, and Dillard would be elected to fill his seat in the ensuing special election.Spaw, pp. 108–109 The highly public and controversial battle between Priest and Dillard over the results of the election deteriorated the public's perception of the Radical Republicans.District 3 election Republican Party (United States) Mijamin Priest 1,259 51.49% Democratic Party (United States) James Eldrage Dillard 1,186 48.51% 2,445 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 4 Republican Elisha Pettit, the former president of Marshall University, was elected to represent the 4th district.Spaw, p. 107 District 4 election Republican Party (United States) Elisha Pettit 1,201 50.63% Democratic Party (United States) W. H. Tucker 1,171 49.37% 2,372 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 5 Republican Webster Flanagan, the son of J. W. Flanagan, who was concurrently elected lieutenant governor, was elected to represent the 5th district, based in Rusk and Panola counties. Flanagan was a Unionist prior to the Civil War, but he served in the Confederate army until he contracted tuberculosis. A Radical Republican, Flanagan was a delegate to the convention which produced the Constitution of 1869. He became popular in his district by preventing the stationing of federal troops there during the Union occupation.Spaw, pp. 97–100District 5 election Republican Party (United States) Webster Flanagan 1,263 50.80% Democratic Party (United States) W. B. Ector 1,223 49.20% 2,486 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 6 Major James Postell Douglas was elected to represent the 6th district, based in Tyler. Having served in the Confederate army, he partially owned and edited the Tyler Reporter and facilitated the construction of multiple railroads in the region.Spaw, p. 96District 6 election Democratic Party (United States) James Postell Douglas 1,274 47.10% Republican Party (United States) Z. Norton 997 36.86% Republican Party (United States) L. P. Harris 433 16.01% Independent politician Van Hamilton 1 0.04% 2,705 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 7 Radical Republican Henry Rawson was elected to represent the 7th district, composed solely of Harrison County. He had held no other political office prior to his election.Spaw, p. 110District 7 election Republican Party (United States) Henry Rawson 1,830 75.62% Democratic Party (United States) J. M. Nascomb 590 24.38% 2,420 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 8 Republican Donald Campbell, a staunch Unionist before the Civil War, was elected to represent the 8th district. He was elected president pro tempore of the Senate after lieutenant governor J. W. Flanagan was elected to the United States Senate, giving Campbell the office ex officio.District 8 election Republican Party (United States) Donald Campbell 1,490 52.91% Democratic Party (United States) W. L. Crawford 1,326 47.09% 2,816 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 9 Democrat Henry R. Latimer, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, was elected to represent the 9th district, based in Red River County.Spaw, pp. 105–106District 9 election Democratic Party (United States) Henry R. Latimer 1,078 52.97% Republican Party (United States) W. H. Fleming 953 46.83% Independent politician A. J. Harrison 3 0.15% Independent politician C. H. Jones 1 0.05% 2,035 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 10 Democrat David W. Cole, one of the first White settlers in the area, was elected to represent the 10th district, covering Lamar and Hopkins counties. One of very few conservatives present at the constitutional convention, Cole was arrested for refusing to vote on the controversial issue of dividing the state, though he was later released and voted to keep the state whole.District 10 election Democratic Party (United States) David W. Cole 882 54.44% Republican Party (United States) B. A. VanSickle 734 45.31% 4 0.25% 1,620 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 11 Ebenezer L. Dohoney, a moderately conservative Democrat, was elected to represent the 11th district, based in Paris. A staunch Unionist who gained notoriety when he successfully swayed the voters of his home of Lamar County to oppose secession in 1861, he nonetheless served in the Confederate army for a year during the Civil War. After the war, he was appointed district attorney for the region, overseeing the chaotic and violent early Reconstruction era. Uncommon for the era, Dohoney supported gun control and women's suffrage.Spaw, pp. 93–96District 11 election Democratic Party (United States) Ebenezer L. Dohoney 618 29.16% Republican Party (United States) R. Peterson 563 26.57% Republican Party (United States) J. M. Long 457 21.57% Democratic Party (United States) S. J. Spotts 299 14.11% 182 8.59% 2,119 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 12 Radical Republican George Ruby was elected to represent the 12th district, based in Galveston, becoming, alongside Matthew Gaines, one of the first two African Americans elected to the Texas Senate. Prior to his election, Ruby had spent time in Haiti and New Orleans advocating for the rights of Black people. He moved to Galveston while working with the Freedmen's Bureau and quickly became prominent in Republican Party politics. He was also one of twelve African American members of the constitutional convention.Spaw, pp. 110–111District 12 election Republican Party (United States) George Ruby 1,955 54.47% Democratic Party (United States) A. P. McCormick 1,634 45.53% 3,589 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 13 Republican John G. Bell was elected to represent the 13th district. A veteran of the Seminole War, he was a staunch Unionist prior to the Civil War, although a level of involvement with the Confederacy forced him to take the Ironclad Oath before he could run for office.Spaw, p. 89District 13 election Republican Party (United States) John G. Bell 1,405 45.54% Republican Party (United States) R. K. Smith 1,161 37.63% Democratic Party (United States) T. S. McDade 410 13.29% Democratic Party (United States) W. E. Kendall 74 2.40% 35 1.13% 3,085 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 14 William Henry Parsons was elected to represent the 14th district, based in Harris County. A colonel in the Confederate Army, Parsons had staunchly supported states' rights before the war, publishing a newspaper to espouse his positions and attending the state's secession convention in 1860.Bailey Anne J. February 26, 2011 William Henry Parsons: Confederate Colonel and Newspaper Editor https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/parsons-william-henry 2026-04-14 Texas State Historical Association enSpaw, p. 106 Parsons commanded the 12th Texas Cavalry Regiment during the war, primarily fighting against the Union in Arkansas and Louisiana.Bailey Anne J. April 3, 2011 The Twelfth Texas Cavalry: A Key Confederate Unit in the Trans-Mississippi https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/twelfth-texas-cavalry 2026-04-14 Texas State Historical Association en By the time of his election to the Senate, however, Parsons had become a Radical Republican, arguing fervently for the passage of the 15th Amendment and denouncing the Democratic Party as traitors.Spaw, pp. 106–107District 14 election Republican Party (United States) William H. Parsons 1,898 60.79% Democratic Party (United States) D. J. Baldwin 1,224 39.21% 3,122 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 15 Republican John S. Mills of Grimes County was elected to represent the 15th district. A prominent member of the party, he had served as the vice president of their 1869 state convention.District 15 election Republican Party (United States) John S. Mills 2,690 72.35% Democratic Party (United States) C. Caldwell 1,021 27.46% 7 0.19% 3,718 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 16 Radical Republican Matthew Gaines was elected to represent the 16th district, based in Galveston, becoming, alongside George Ruby, one of the first two African Americans elected to the Texas Senate. A freedman, Gaines was self-educated and became a minister. He was a firebrand for the rights of African Americans, especially regarding public education and integrated schooling.Spaw, pp. 103–104District 16 election Republican Party (United States) Matthew Gaines 1,857 69.16% Democratic Party (United States) B. O. Watrous 808 30.09% Independent politician J. T. Swearinger 18 0.67% Independent politician William T. Clark 2 0.07% 2,685 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 17 Radical Republican William A. Saylor was elected to represent the 17th district, based in Brazos County.Spaw, p. 111District 17 election Republican Party (United States) William A. Saylor 1,193 58.62% Democratic Party (United States) A. B. Cunningham 588 28.89% Democratic Party (United States) James Shaw 251 12.33% Independent politician A. Anderson 3 0.15% 2,035 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 18 Radical Republican Phidello W. Hall of Robertson County was elected to represent the 18th district.Spaw, p. 105District 18 election Republican Party (United States) Phidello W. Hall 1,610 51.24% Democratic Party (United States) William Keigwin 1,532 48.76% 3,142 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 19 Liberal Republican Andrew Jackson Evans was elected to represent the 19th district, based in McLennan County, but Radical Republican S. W. Ford successfully contested this result and took Evans' place in the Senate a few months into his term.District 19 election Republican Party (United States) Andrew Jackson Evans 1,498 48.79% Republican Party (United States) S. W. Ford 1,330 43.32% Democratic Party (United States) C. R. Waters 242 7.88% 3,070 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 20 Democrat William H. Pyle was elected to represent the 20th district, southeast of Dallas County. Pyle had served as a field surgeon in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.Spaw, p. 109District 20 election Democratic Party (United States) William H. Pyle 1,140 71.56% Republican Party (United States) J. H. Lippard 441 27.68% Independent politician Robert Hodge 12 0.75% 1,593 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 21 Conservative Independent Samuel Evans, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, was elected to represent the 21st district, based in Dallas and Tarrant counties.Spaw, pp. 96–97, 145 A farmer before the Civil War, Evans raised a company of cavalry for the Confederate Army.Miller Aragorn Storm October 16, 2020 Samuel Evans: Life of a Texas Farmer and Politician https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/evans-samuel 2026-04-15 Texas State Historical Association en Evans defeated incumbent James K. Polk Record, one of the only members of the 11th legislature to run for re-election.District 21 election Independent politician Samuel Evans 1,355 61.31% Independent politician James K. Polk Record (incumbent) 769 34.80% Independent politician B. F. Barkley 86 3.89% 2,210 100.0% Independent politician District 22 Conservative Independent Edward T. Broughton was elected to represent the 22nd district, northwest of Tarrant County, against members of both the Democratic and Republican parties.Which opponent belonged to which party is not clearly known. Assumptions are based on the political leanings of the district. Broughton had served in the Confederate Army as a lieutenant colonel in the 7th Texas Infantry and later in Hood's Texas Brigade.Spaw, pp. 90–91District 22 election Independent politician Edward T. Broughton 746 43.52% Democratic Party (United States) Thomas Kealey 572 33.37% Republican Party (United States) T. C. Bass 394 22.99% Independent politician Conner 2 0.12% 1,714 100.0% Independent politician District 23 thumb|Results by county #7996E2 Shannon #6674DE 60–70% #5FD35F Welcher #87DE87 40–50% #5FD35F 50–60% #51C2C2 Kirk #7DDDDD 40–50% #008080 80–90% No votes #808080 No votes Democrat George R. Shannon, one of the earliest settlers of Johnson County, was elected to represent the 23rd district. A member of the Shannon political family, he succeeded his brother, William R. Shannon, who had represented the area during the 11th legislature.Spaw, p. 112District 23 election Democratic Party (United States) George R. Shannon 696 41.55% Independent politician B. F. Welcher 455 27.16% Democratic Party (United States) A. L. Kirk 249 14.87% Republican Party (United States) W. F. Carter 232 13.85% Independent politician J. G. Thomas 43 2.57% 1,675 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 24 thumb|200x200px|Results by county #e27f7f Pridgen #e27f7f 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #7996E2 White #7996E2 50–60% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90% Radical Republican Bolivar Jackson Pridgen of DeWitt County, a veteran of the Mexican–American War, was elected to represent the 24th district. He focused on policies which promoted the construction of railroads and public schools throughout the state.Spaw, p. 108District 24 election Republican Party (United States) Bolivar Jackson Pridgen 1,174 51.83% Democratic Party (United States) F. M. White 1,076 47.50% 15 0.66% 2,265 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 25 Republican Abner K. Foster was elected to represent the 25th district, consisting of Colorado and Lavaca Counties. A staunch Unionist, Foster had served in several roles during the state's military occupation, becoming very popular, but he died in March 1870, leaving the seat vacant for the remainder of the regular legislative session.Spaw, p. 100District 25 election Republican Party (United States) Abner K. Foster 1,689 62.63% Democratic Party (United States) J. D. Gilmore 935 34.67% Independent politician A. J. Vaughan 73 2.71% 2,697 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 26 Republican Enoch Leach Alford was elected to represent the 26th district, although the Senate would later expel him in 1871 for siding with Democrats in a quorum bust against multiple parts of governor Edmund Davis' agenda.McGaughy Lauren August 7, 2025 A Texas lawmaker lost his seat over quorum-breaking, violence allegations. 155 years ago – Houston Public Media https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/texas/2025/08/07/528180/a-texas-lawmaker-lost-his-seat-over-quorum-breaking-violence-allegations-155-years-ago/?amp=1 2026-07-27 www.houstonpublicmedia.orgDistrict 26 election Republican Party (United States) Enoch Leach Alford 1,804 58.51% Democratic Party (United States) J. D. Sayers 968 31.40% Independent politician H. Ledbetter 311 10.09% 3,083 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 27 thumb|150x150px|Results by county #e27f7f Baker #E27F7F 50–60% #7996E2 Stell #7996E2 50–60% Radical Republican Thomas H. Baker was elected to represent the 27th district. He had served the Confederacy during the Civil War, and he had served as a district judge prior to his election to the Senate. He defeated incumbent Jeptha Warren Stell, one of the only members of the 11th legislature to run for re-election.District 27 election Republican Party (United States) Thomas H. Baker 1,318 50.69% Democratic Party (United States) Jeptha Warren Stell (incumbent) 1,265 48.65% 17 0.65% 2,600 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 28 thumb|300x300px|Results by county #7996E2 Bowers #7996E2 50–60% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90% #e27f7f Talbot #FFC8CD 30–40% No votes #808080 No votes Former state representative Marmion Henry Bowers was elected to represent the 28th district, based in Travis County. He had served in the Confederate Army prior to his election to the House. He lacked a direct partisan affiliation, although he consistently voted with the Democrats and was sometimes identified as one. He died in 1872 before the end of his term of tuberculosis.Spaw, p. 90Member profile for Marmion Henry Bowers - Texas Legislative Reference Library https://lrl.texas.gov/legeleaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=4343 2026-07-27 lrl.texas.govDistrict 28 election Democratic Party (United States) Marmion Henry Bowers 1,907 56.55% Independent politician J. B. McFarland 809 23.99% Republican Party (United States) Richard Talbot 646 19.16% 10 0.30% 3,372 100.0% Texas Democratic Party District 29 thumb|Results by county #e27f7f Hertzberg #e27f7f 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #7996E2 King #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #0D0596 >90% No votes #808080 No votes Radical Republican Theodor Rudolph Hertzberg was elected to represent the 29th district, based in Bexar County. He also represented much of Texas Hill Country, serving as one of the earliest manifestations of the political power of the Texas Germans in the region.District 29 election Republican Party (United States) Theodor Rudolph Hertzberg 1,871 53.92% Democratic Party (United States) Henry Clay King 1,597 46.02% 2 0.06% 3,470 100.0% Republican Party of Texas District 30 thumb|400x400px|Results by county #e27f7f Fountain #e27f7f 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #A80000 >90% #7996E2 Thomas #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #0D0596 >90% #ff9a50 Lujan #D45500 >90% #51C2C2 DeAvalon #008080 80–90% #006666 >90% #5FD35F King #165016 >90% No votes #808080 No votes Radical Republican Albert Jennings Fountain was elected to represent the 30th district, spanning the state's southern border with Mexico from the Rio Grande Valley to El Paso. His district far removed from the issues affecting the rest of the state, Fountain campaigned on securing El Paso's salt supply during the San Elizario Salt War.Despite this, Fountain received no votes from El Paso County, which instead cast most of its ballots for J. Lujan. After the election, Fountain's opponents petitioned the Senate to remove him from office, accusing him of election fraud. After this failed, they brought felony charges against him alleging fraud during his time as El Paso Collector of Customs. He was later acquitted of these charges and served his full term in the Senate.Spaw, pp. 100–102District 30 election Republican Party (United States) Albert Jennings Fountain 727 31.96% Democratic Party (United States) James B. Thomas 683 30.02% Republican Party (United States) J. Lujan 434 19.08% Democratic Party (United States) Alonzo A. DeAvalon 412 18.11% 19 0.84% 2,275 100.0% Republican Party of Texas Notes References Bibliography Spaw, Patsy McDonald (February 1, 1999). The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889. Texas A&M University Press. 978-0-89096-857-4. Texas Senate Texas Category:Texas Senate elections