John Matthew "Jaybird" Moore (November 18, 1862 – February 3, 1940) was an American rancher and statesman from Texas who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

District 8 District 8 can refer to: *District 8 Jakarta, in Indonesia *District 8 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam *VIII District, Turku, in Finland * VIII District, Budapest, in Hungary *Riesbach, also known as District 8, in Zürich, Switzerland * District 8, ...

from 1905 to 1913. He was engaged in Fort Bend County's

Jaybird–Woodpecker War The Jaybird–Woodpecker War (1888–89) was a feud between two Democratic Party (United States), United States Democratic Party factions fighting for political control of Fort Bend County, Texas, in the southeast part of the state. The Jay Bird ...

and affiliated with the Jaybirds. Moore was also present during the fighting at the

Battle of Richmond The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, fought August 29–30, 1862, was one of the most complete Confederate victories in the war by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith against Union major general William "Bull" Nelson's forces, which were defending th ...

on August 16, 1889.

Early life and education

John Matthew Moore was born on November 18, 1862, in Richmond, Texas, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

as the son of Dr. Matthew A. and Henrietta (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Huddlestone) Moore. His family owned a farm and many

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

near Oyster Creek. He was educated at the State A. and M. College of Texas in

College Station College station or College Station may refer to: Transportation *College station (MetroLink), a St. Louis light rail station in Saint Clair County, Illinois, United States *College station (PNR), a Philippine National Railways station in Los Baño ...

, which is now

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. He attended the university from 1878 to 1880.

Career

E. H. Loughery wrote in 1897 that Moore was engaged in merchandising and farming from 1880 to 1883, and that Moore was primarily interested in

stockraising A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

, banking and farming in Richmond after 1883. He was Chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Fort Bend County in 1888, and from 1890 to 1892 Moore was the president of the Jaybird Democratic Association of Fort Bend County. Prior to being elected as a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

, he had been a delegate to several minor and state conventions. During the Jaybird–Woodpecker War, a man was killed across the street from his home. John Matthew Moore has often been confused for

John Marks Moore John Marks Moore (January 23, 1853 – September 28, 1902) was an American attorney, Democratic politician from Texas, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, and the Secretary of State of Texas during the term of Lawrence Sullivan Ross. ...

, who was the

Secretary of State of Texas The Secretary of State of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas S ...

during Lawrence Sullivan Ross's administration. John Matthew Moore has been erroneously claimed to have been a Secretary of State of Texas by the ''

Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster The ''Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster'' is a newspaper based in Rosenberg, Texas, covering the Fort Bend County area of Texas. It publishes six days a week (excluding Saturday). It is owned by Hartman Newspapers. The '' Richmond Democrat'' ( ...

'', the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'', and the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Personal life and legacy

John Matthew Moore married Lottie Dyer, daughter of J. Foster Dyer, on July 30, 1883, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. J. Foster Dyer was a wealthy farmer and stockman of Fort Bend County. Mrs. Moore was an excellent musician and was educated in Virginia and at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

. Moore was a member of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Lodge, No. 151 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Moore's son, John Jr., served as a two-term Mayor of Richmond, Texas, and a two-term judge in Fort Bend County, Texas. John Jr.'s son, Hilmar, was the Mayor of Richmond, and the longest-serving elected official in the United States, having served 30 terms from 1949 until Moore's death on December 4, 2012.

References

External links

* 1862 births 1940 deaths Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas A&M University alumni Members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks People from Richmond, Texas Ranchers from Texas Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas {{Texas-politician-stub

Early life and education

Career

Personal life and legacy

See also

References

External links