Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855March 19, 1925) was an American

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and Democrat who served as the 21st Governor of Texas from 1895 to 1899, and as a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from

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 ...

from 1899 to 1923.

Early life and education

Culberson was born to Democratic politician

David Browning 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 ...

and Eugenia Culberson and on June 10, 1855 in

Dadeville, Alabama Dadeville is a city in and the county seat of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 3,230, up from 3,212 in 2000. History Dadeville was named for Major Francis Langhorne Dade, who died in the Seminole ...

. Culberson's family moved to Texas in 1856, settling first in Gilmer and later in Jefferson. Culberson attended

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

, graduating in 1874, and subsequently studied law at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

Charlottesville 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 ...

in 1876 and 1877. In 1877 he was admitted to the bar in

Daingerfield, Texas Daingerfield is a city and the county seat of Morris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,560 at the 2010 census. The bluegrass instrumental tune Old Dangerfield by Bill Monroe was named after the town of Daingerfield. Geography D ...

, and commenced practice in Jefferson, later moving to

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

in 1887.

Political career

Texas state politics

Culberson's political career began with his election as

Attorney General of Texas The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

in 1890, a position he held until 1895, after campaigning for and winning the governor's race in November 1894. After two terms as governor, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat on January 25, 1899.

Senate tenure

Early during his tenure, he served on the

Lodge Committee The Committee on the Philippines was a standing committee of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1921. The committee was established by Senate resolution on December 15, 1899, to oversee administration of the Philippines, which Spain had ceded to ...

investigating war crimes in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. Later, he chaired several senate committees, including the judiciary committee, which he chaired from 1913 to 1919. Culberson was opposed to demands for

racial equality Racial equality is a situation in which people of all races and ethnicities are treated in an egalitarian/equal manner. Racial equality occurs when institutions give individuals legal, moral, and political rights. In present-day Western societ ...

, stating that efforts to do so would lead to the "consequent debasement, degradation or destruction of the white race". Culberson was reelected in 1905, 1911, and, again, by popular vote in 1916, when health problems and

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

prevented him from campaigning in Texas but did not prevent his reelection. However, his health and opposition to the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

finally led to the loss of his seat in the Democratic primary in 1922. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Earle Bradford Mayfield, the outgoing member of the

Texas Railroad Commission The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and sur ...

Death and legacy

Culberson lived in retirement until his death from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

in Washington, D.C. on March 19, 1925. He is buried in East Oakwood Cemetery in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, Texas. Culberson was a distant cousin of

John Culberson John Abney Culberson (born August 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019. A Republican, he served in in large portions of western Houston and surrounding ...

, who represented between 2001 to 2019.

References

* , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Culberson, Charles Allen 1855 births 1925 deaths Democratic Party governors of Texas Democratic Party United States senators from Texas People from Dadeville, Alabama People from Dallas People from Longview, Texas Texas Attorneys General People from Jefferson, Texas