Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855March 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

Culberson was born to Democratic politician

David Browning Culberson David Browning Culberson (September 29, 1830 – May 7, 1900) was a Confederate soldier, a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Early years Culberson was born in Troup County, Georgia, on Sep ...

and Eugenia Culberson and on June 10, 1855 in Dadeville, Alabama. Culberson's family moved to Texas in 1856, settling first in Gilmer and later in Jefferson. Culberson attended Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 1874, and subsequently studied law 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.

Political career

Texas state politics

Culberson's political career began with his election as

Attorney General of Texas The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

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.

Senate tenure

Early during his tenure, he served on the Lodge Committee investigating war crimes in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. 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". 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 The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

finally led to the loss of his seat in the Democratic primary in 1922. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Earle Bradford Mayfield, the outgoing member of the Texas Railroad Commission.

Death and legacy

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 Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Texas. Culberson was a distant cousin of John Culberson, who represented between 2001 to 2019.

References

* , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Culberson, Charles Allen 1855 births 1925 deaths Democratic Party governors of Texas Democratic Party United States senators from Texas People from Dadeville, Alabama People from Dallas People from Longview, Texas Texas Attorneys General People from Jefferson, Texas