Asa Hoxie Willie (October 11, 1829 – March 16, 1899) was a United States representative representing Texas and chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. During the Civil War, he served as a major in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. Willie was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to one term in Congress from 1873 to 1875 as an at-large member.

Early life

Willie was born the son of James and Caroline (Hoxie) Willie in Washington, Georgia, on October 11, 1829.''Handbook of Texas Online''. Texas State Historical Association.
/ref> Willie attended private schools in Wilkes County, Georgia and at the age of 16, he moved to

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

in 1846 and studied law in the office of his older brother, James Willie.''Texas Politics''. Texas State Historical Association
He was admitted to the bar in 1848 and commenced practice in Brenham. He was elected district attorney of the third judicial district of Texas from 1852-1854.''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
/ref>

Civil War

In 1858, Willie moved to Marshall where he and Alex Pope formed a law partnership. He married Bettie Johnson of Brandon, Mississippi in 1859. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Willie was commissioned a major in the Seventh Texas Infantry of the Confederate Army on the staff of Colonel John Gregg. Willie was captured along with most of his troops at Fort Donelson in February 1862. The captured men were confined at Johnson's Island, Ohio for nine months before the regiment was exchanged in time to take part in the Battle of Chickamauga in September, 1863. Willie fought the rest of the battles of the Army of Tennessee until its surrender.

Judge and Congressman

After the Civil War, Willie moved to

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

and in 1866 was elected Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court but was removed by Reconstruction military authorities in 1867. After his service on the court, Willie resumed the practice of law. After Reconstruction was complete and Texans resumed their rights under the U.S. Constitution, Texas received two additional congressional representatives through

apportionment The legal term apportionment (french: apportionement; Mediaeval Latin: , derived from la, portio, share), also called delimitation, is in general the distribution or allotment of proper shares, though may have different meanings in different c ...

as a result of the

1870 Census The United States census of 1870 was the ninth United States census. It was conducted by the Census Bureau from June 1, 1870, to August 23, 1871. The 1870 census was the first census to provide detailed information on the African-American popul ...

. The legislature did not redraw the state's 4 congressional districts and instead allowed two members to be elected in at-large districts. Willie was elected to Congress in 1872 and served for one term. Willie did not seek reelection in 1874 and returned to Galveston where he was elected city attorney in 1875 and 1876. In 1882, Willie was appointed Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court by Governor Oran M. Roberts, himself a former Chief Justice of Texas. Willie served on the court until his retirement in 1888.

Death and interment

Willie died in Galveston on March 16, 1899. Interment was at Trinity Episcopal Church Cemetery, Galveston.The Political Graveyard
/ref>

References

;Sources Retrieved on 2009-03-23
''Handbook of Texas Online''. Texas State Historical Association.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willie, Asa H. 1829 births 1899 deaths People of Texas in the American Civil War People from Galveston, Texas Chief Justices of the Texas Supreme Court Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges