Nathaniel Macon Burford (June 24, 1824 – May 10, 1898) was an American politician in

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 ...

who served as

Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committee A committee or commission is a body of one or ...

between 1866 and 1869. Burford was also an attorney and a state district judge, and during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he raised and led the

19th Texas Cavalry Regiment The 19th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers from Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment mustered into Confederate service at the end of March 1862. It moved to Arkansas in ...

Biography

Burford was born to Nancy McAlister and John Hawkins Burford on June 24, 1824, in

Smith County, Tennessee Smith County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,166. Smith County is located in the region of the state known as Middle Tennessee. Its county seat is Carthage. The county was organized in ...

. He taught school at age seventeen, and later graduated from Irving College in McMinnville in 1845. He studied law in McMinnville and was accepted into the bar in 1846. At the outbreak of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, Burford travelled to

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

to enlist, but was turned down because Tennessee's quota of troops had already been filled. After a sojourn to Shreveport, Louisiana, Burford ended up in

Jefferson, Texas Jefferson is a city in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Texas's northeastern region. With a population of 1,875 at the 2020 United States census, it is the county seat of Marion. History Almost every commercial building and house on the main ...

, in early 1847 where he clerked in the Cass County district court. Finding the local bar too full for his ambitions, he moved on to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

in 1848 with $5 in his pocket and letters of recommendation from, among others, Gov. J. Pinckney Henderson. He formed a law partnership with John H. Reagan, and, later, was elected district attorney in 1850 and re-elected in 1852. In 1850, he was one of the founding members of th
Tannehill Masonic Lodge #52
in Dallas and its first Master. On January 18, 1854, Burford married fellow Tennessean Mary J. Knight. Knight was the daughter of O. W. Knight, an early pioneer of

Dallas County Dallas County may refer to: Places in the USA: * Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name * Dallas County, Arkansas * Dallas County, Iowa * Dallas County, Missouri * Dallas County, Texas, the nin ...

. Together, Mary and Nathaniel would have some five children. In 1856 Burford was selected as judge of the new 16th Judicial District, seated in

Waxahachie Waxahachie ( ) is the seat of government of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. Etymology Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible ...

, a post he would resign in 1861 to fight in the Civil War. He enlisted in Good's Texas Battery commanded by Capt.

John Jay Good John Jay Good (July 12, 1827 – September 17, 1882) was a Texan judge, soldier, and mayor of the city of Dallas.. Retrieved on August 6, 2009. Biography John Jay Good was born July 12, 1827, in Monroe County, Mississippi to George Good. He ...

as a private. In 1862, however, Burford raised the 19th Texas Cavalry regiment and was elected as its colonel. The 19th Texas was a part of the

Trans-Mississippi Department The Trans-Mississippi Department was a geographical subdivision of the Confederate States Army comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indian Territory; i.e. all of the Confederacy west of the Mississi ...

for the duration of the war. After the 1864 Red River Campaign, Burford resigned, believing that he was not suitable to properly lead troops into battle. He returned to private practice and, in 1866, was elected to the

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 ...

of the

Eleventh Texas Legislature The Eleventh Texas Legislature met from August 6, 1866, to November 13, 1866, in its regular session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1865. Sessions *11th Regular session: Aug ...

. Burford was elected Speaker, 39 votes to 30 for

Ashbel Smith Ashbel Smith (August 13, 1805 – January 21, 1886) was a pioneer physician, diplomat, slave owner, and official of the Republic of Texas, Confederate officer and first President of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas. Smith was an a ...

. On April 25, 1869, Gen.

Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

declared all elective offices in Texas vacant, ending Burford's legislative career. Burford was elected presiding judge of Dallas County in 1874 and judge for the 11th Judicial District in 1876, resigning the following year due to health problems. He served as a United States commissioner from 1879 to 1881. Burford died May 10, 1898, in Dallas and is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery there. Burford was an Episcopalian.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burford, Nathaniel Macon 1824 births 1898 deaths Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Texas state court judges Confederate States Army officers People of Texas in the American Civil War 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges