James Luther Slayden (June 1, 1853 – February 24, 1924) was an American politician, cotton merchant, and rancher. He was elected from

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, serving eleven consecutive terms.

Early life and education

James Luther Slayden was born in

Mayfield, Kentucky Mayfield is a home rule–class city and the county seat of Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,017 as of the 2020 United States Census. History 19th century Mayfield is in the center of the Jackson Purchase, an ei ...

. His parents were Letitia E. (née Beadles) and Thomas A. Slayden. After his father died in 1869, he moved with his mother and siblings to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

. There, he attended common schools and worked for two years. From 1872 and 1873, he attended

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. There, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi ( St. Anthony Hall). He returned to New Orleans in 1873, where he worked until he moved to Texas in November 1876.

Career

Slayden moved to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, in 1879 and became a rancher

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

merchant. He became active in Democratic Party and was elected to 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 abo ...

in 1892. There, he served on the Finance Committee; Insurance, Statistics and History Committee; the Judicial Districts Committee; the Public Buildings and Grounds Committee; the State Affairs Committee; and the Town and City Corporations Committee. He worked to develop trade between Texas and other areas, and the construction

railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

in Texas. After serving in the state legislature from January 10, to January 8, 1893, he declined renomination and returned to ranching. In 1896, Slayden was elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

representing Texas' 12th district as a Democrat. He was re-elected in 1898 and 1900, serving in total from 1897 to 1903. In 1903, he was redistricted to

Texas's 14th congressional district Texas's 14th congressional district for the United States House of Representatives stretches from Freeport to Beaumont. It formerly covered the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas ...

and was elected to serve from 1903 to 1919. He served a total of eleven terms in Congress. In Congress Slayden promoted the growth of the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

system in Texas. He served on the Committee on Military Affairs and was key in making

a military center and in enlarging

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

. After losing his bid for appointment as President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

, Slayden declined renomination to run for Congress in 1918. When he left Congress in 1919, Slayden kept busy with mines in Mexico, a ranch in Texas, and an orchard in

Honors

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

Key,

*Slayden, Texas in

Gonzales County Gonzales County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, adjacent to Greater Austin-San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,653. The county is named for its county seat, the city of Gonzales. The county was created in 1836 a ...

was named in his honor in the late 1880s.Harden
Stephen., "Slayden, TX"
''Handbook of Texas Online'', July 1, 1995. Texas State Historical Association, accessed 6 November 2012

Personal life

In 1883, he married Ellen Maury who was from

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen C ...

.Mary S. Pearson, "Slayden, Ellen Maury"
''Handbook of Texas History Online'', accessed 6 November 2012 They had no children. In 1889, Ellen worked for the San Antonio ''Express'' as the society editor.'''' After Slayden's election to Congress, they moved to Washington, D.C. in 1896. In October 1910, Slayden became one of the first trustees of the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded i ...

. He was also president of the

American Peace Society The American Peace Society is a pacifist group founded upon the initiative of William Ladd, in New York City, May 8, 1828. It was formed by the merging of many state and local societies, from New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, of ...

. He was active in various fraternal organizations, including the

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, the Masons, and the Odd Fellows. In addition, he was an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

. In 1927, he died in

at the age of 70. He was buried in Mission Park Cemetery.

References

Further information

*Sondra Wyatt Gray, ''The Political Career of James Luther Slayden'', University of Texas at Austin, 1962 {{DEFAULTSORT:Slayden, James Luther 1853 births 1924 deaths People from Mayfield, Kentucky People from New Orleans Washington and Lee University alumni St. Anthony Hall People from San Antonio American Episcopalians 19th-century American merchants Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas American Freemasons 19th-century American Episcopalians 20th-century American Episcopalians