Pendleton Murrah (1824/1826August 4, 1865) was the
tenth Governor of
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 ...
. His term in office coincided with 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 ...
.
Career
Murrah's birth date and birth location vary from source to source. Some have him born in 1824; others give his birth year as 1826. According to his 1850 and 1860 entries in the U.S. Census, Murrah was a native of
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. His birthplace is sometimes listed as
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, but more recent sources indicate he was born in
Bibb County and was the illegitimate son of Peggy Murrah, a daughter of Charles and Avarilla Jones Murrah. He was raised and educated in a Baptist orphanage, and graduated from
Brown University in 1848. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar. He moved to Texas and opened a law practice in
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
.
After losing a race in 1855, Murrah won election 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 1857, and also served on the executive committee of the
Texas Democratic Party
The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas.
President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Texas Democ ...
. In 1861 he declined to run for a seat in the
Confederate Congress
The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...
because of ill health, probably
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
, but his health recovered sufficiently that he accepted a commission in the 14th Texas Infantry, a
Confederate Army unit commanded by former governor
Edward Clark. Murrah soon resigned his commission, but he won the gubernatorial election in 1863, and served until the fall of the Confederacy.
As governor 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 ...
, Murrah emphatically supported the Confederate cause, although he ended up in a controversy over the
conscription of Texas militia troops into the Confederate Army. Still, even after
Robert E. Lee surrendered in 1865, he encouraged Texans to continue the fight.
When he learned that
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
forces were en route to Texas, Murrah fled to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
with other Confederate leaders. Lieutenant Governor
Fletcher Summerfield Stockdale filled the vacant post, acting as governor for five days, until provisional governor
Andrew J. Hamilton assumed office in August 1865.
["STOCKDALE, FLETCHER SUMMERFIELD," Handbook of Texas Onlin]
accessed May 19, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
The trip to Mexico took a toll on Murrah's health, and he died in
Monterrey on August 4, 1865. His grave is located in the Panteon Municipal of Monterrey, Mexico.
Family
Charles Murrah, the grandfather of Pendleton Murrah, was born in 1775 in
Warren County, North Carolina
Warren County is a county located in the northeastern Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, on the northern border with Virginia, made famous for a landfill and birthplace of the environmental justice movement. As of the 2020 ce ...
. He traced his ancestry through his parents Charles and his Margaret (Peggy) Murrah, and through them to his grandparents Lodowick and Mira Ann Jeter Murrah of
Caroline County, Virginia
Caroline County is a county (United States), United States county located in the eastern part of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The northern boundary of the county borders on the Rappahannock River, notably at the hist ...
.
In 1850 Murrah married Sue Ellen Taylor, daughter of a prominent Texas plantation owner. According to the 1860 census, they had no children.
See also
*
"Died of states' rights" at the article Confederate States of America
External links
*
Entry about Pendleton Murrahfrom th
''Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas''published 1880, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murrah, Pendleton
1820s births
1865 deaths
Brown University alumni
Democratic Party governors of Texas
People from Marshall, Texas
People of Texas in the American Civil War
Infectious disease deaths in Mexico
Confederate States of America state governors
19th-century American politicians