The Eighth Texas Legislature met from November 7, 1859 to April 9, 1861 in its regular session, a first called session, and an adjourned session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1859.

Sessions

* 8th Regular session: November 7, 1859 – February 13, 1860 * 8th First called session: January 21–February 9, 1861 * 8th Adjourned session: March 18–April 9, 1861

Party summary

Officers

Senate

; Lieutenant Governor: Edward Clark, Democrat ; President ''pro tempore'':

Jesse Grimes Jesse Grimes (1788–1866) was a Texas pioneer and politician. Before moving to Texas, he fought in the War of 1812. He was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. He served as Senator in the Republic of Texas Congress and in the Texas ...

, Democrat, Regular session

House of Representatives

; Speaker of the House : M. D. K. Taylor, Democrat

Members

Members of the Eighth Texas Legislature at the beginning of the regular session, November 7, 1859:

Senate

House of Representatives

* Basilio Benavides * Anthony Martin Branch * Kindallis Bryan * Constantine W. Buckley *

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

David B. 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 Se ...

Nicholas Henry Darnell Nicholas Henry Darnell (April 20, 1807 – July 16, 1885) was an American politician in Tennessee and Texas. He was the only person to serve as speaker (politics), Speaker of the House of the Republic of Texas Republic of Texas House of Represent ...

* John Wilson Davis, Jr. * Isaac N. Dennis *

David Catchings Dickson David Catchings Dickson (February 25, 1818 – June 5, 1880) was an American politician and physician in early Texas who served as the ninth Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He was als ...

* Edward Dougherty * Foscue * James Carlton Francis * Benjamin Cromwell Franklin * De Witt Clinton Fort * Lindsay Hagler, San Patricio County * James Marshall Harrison *

J. W. Henderson James Wilson Henderson (August 15, 1817 – August 30, 1880) was the List of Governors of Texas, fourth Governor of Texas from November 23, 1853, to December 21, 1853. Biography Born on August 15, 1817, in Sumner County, Tennessee, Sumner Coun ...

Alfred Marmaduke Hobby Alfred Marmaduke Hobby (1836 – February 5, 1881) was a famous Texas merchant, politician, Confederate officer, and poet. He was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1836, the son of Martin and Anna Elizabeth (Slade) Hobby. Hobby's nephew is William P. ...

* Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. * Henry Lawrence Kinney * Francis J. Lynch * John Haywood Manley *

Samuel Maverick Samuel Augustus Maverick (July 23, 1803 – September 2, 1870) was a Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His name is the source of the term "maverick," first cited in 1867, which means "indepe ...

* John N. McClarty * George McKnight *

Roger Q. Mills Roger Quarles Mills (March 30, 1832September 2, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician. During the American Civil War, he served as an officer in the Confederate States Army. Later, he served in the US Congress, first as a representative a ...

* William Wright Morris *

Titus H. Mundine Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

* José Ángel Navarro *

Allison Nelson Allison Nelson (March 11, 1822 – October 7, 1862) was the ninth mayor of Atlanta, serving from January until July 1855, when he resigned from office. He died of disease in Prairie County (present-day Lonoke County), Arkansas, during the ...

* Benjamin F. Parker * Samuel Redgate * Joel Walter Robison * Shelton * Daniel McDowell Short * John Dennis Stell * M. D. K. Taylor *

Robert H. Taylor Robert H. Taylor (died, aged 76, on 5 May 1985) was a bibliophile who was president of the Grolier Club, the Keats-Shelley Association of America and the Bibliographical Society of America. He donated his collection of 7,000 books, manuscripts and d ...

* Robert J. Townes * Jacob Waelder * Charles A. Warfield * George Washington Whitmore * William Amos Wortham * Friedrich Wilhelm von Wrede, Jr.

Membership changes

Senate

District 15 District 15 or 15th district can refer to: U.S. political districts Federal level * Illinois's 15th congressional district * Michigan's 15th congressional district * Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district * Ohio's 15th congressional district S ...

: Sexton did not return from

Confederate States 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 ...

service in time to meet with the legislature. *

District 25 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

: Shelley elected in special election held March 25, 1861 and sworn in with the

Ninth Texas Legislature The Ninth Texas Legislature met from November 4, 1861 to March 7, 1863 in its regular session and one called session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1861. Sessions *9th Regul ...

House of Representatives

External links

{{TexasLegislatures 08 Texas Legislature 1859 in Texas 1860s in Texas 1860 in Texas 1859 U.S. legislative sessions 1860 U.S. legislative sessions