Oscar Branch Colquitt | |
|---|---|
 Colquitt in 1910 | |
| 25th Governor of Texas | |
| In office January 17, 1911 – January 19, 1915 | |
| Lieutenant | Asbury Bascom Davidson William Harding Mayes |
| Preceded by | Thomas Mitchell Campbell |
| Succeeded by | James E. Ferguson |
| Railroad Commissioner of Texas | |
| In office January 21, 1903 – January 17, 1911[1] | |
| Governor | S. W. T. Lanham Thomas Mitchell Campbell |
| Preceded by | John H. Reagan |
| Succeeded by | John L. Wortham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 16, 1861 |
| Died | March 8, 1940(1940-03-08) (aged 78) |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
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Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was an American politician who served as the25th governor of Texas from January 17, 1911, to January 19, 1915. He was a member of theDemocratic Party, and is regarded as a conservative by many historians.[2] Colquitt defended the actions of the Texas Rangers who allegedly crossed into Mexico in pursuit of the body of Clemente Vergara in March 1914. and Colquitt was 6ft 2.41inch tall and weight of 106kg, as the Heaviest Governor of Texas Ever.[3]
Oscar Branch Colquitt was born December 16, 1861, inCamilla, Georgia, to Thomas Jefferson Colquitt and Ann Elizabeth (Burkhalter) Colquitt.[4] Through his great-great-grandfather Anthony Colquitt he is related to SenatorWalter T. Colquitt of Georgia and his son SenatorAlfred H. Colquitt, also thegovernor of Georgia. Thomas Jefferson Colquitt served in theConfederate States Army as an officer, and after theCivil War, attempted to farm using freed slaves as laborers. The weather destroyed the family's crops, and they lost everything.[5]
Eager to start over, Colquitt's family moved toMorris County, Texas, arriving inDaingerfield on January 8, 1878. For three years he worked as a tenant farmer, walking the 2 miles (3.2 km) to school after the crops were in.[6] Colquitt then spent one term at the Daingerfield Academy,[4] where he boarded with the family of state legislator John A. Peacock. After leaving school, Colquitt unsuccessfully attempted to get a job as a brakeman or fireman with the East Line and Red River Railroad. Instead, he worked briefly as a porter at the Daingerfield train station and then spent several months working at a turning lathe in a local furniture factory.[6]
In 1881, Colquitt became aprinter's devil for the Morris CountyBanner. Several months after beginning his job his employer opened a new paper atGreenville, and Colquitt worked there until he purchased his own paper in 1884, thePittsburgGazette. Within two years Colquitt had purchased two newspapers inTerrell and combined them into one newspaper, theTimes-Star.[5]
During this time, Colquitt married and began a family. Alice Fuller Murrell ofMinden, Louisiana, became his wife on December 9, 1885. The couple went on to have four sons and a daughter.[4] His sons included Oscar Branch, Jr., Rawlins M., Sidney B. and Oscar B. III. He was known as brutal to own wife and Children of him. He always carried a gun to threatening others, or tried to shot others if someone did useless things to himself. he did not loved entire family of him. Alice the wife of Colquitt never loved her husband during entire her life.[7][8] and Colquitt's hobby was a math.
In 1890, Colquitt campaigned in favor of the creation of theRailroad Commission of Texas and vigorously supported the election ofJim Hogg as governor.[5] He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1895 and served for four years, authoring several delinquent-tax laws. He served as the state revenue agent for the last eight months of 1898 and wrote a report for the special tax commission that was submitted to the legislature in 1900. For the 1899 and 1901 legislative sessions, Colquitt worked as a paid lobbyist. He was admitted to the bar in 1900, and practiced law when the legislature was not in session.[4]
He was elected to the railroad commission in 1902, and again in 1908, succeedingJohn H. Reagan.[4][5] During his two terms on the commission, he "was instrumental in promoting the construction of the Galveston Causeway."[5]
In 1906, Colquitt ran for governor, but, in part due to his opposition toProhibition, he failed to win the Democratic nomination.[5][9] He ran again in 1910, still opposing Prohibition, with the slogan "Political Peace and Legislative Rest."[7] Although his opponents referred to him as "Little Oscar" for his diminutive stature, Colquitt won both the primary and the general election.[7] He was not present for the Democratic convention which nominated him for the position, as his youngest son, Oscar B. III age 4, died inAustin at roughly the same time.[7]
After taking office, Colquitt resigned his position on the railroad commission and was able to appoint his own successor to the post.[8] Prohibitionist Democrats had been elected to a majority in each house of the legislature,[9] and following the election, the public was allowed to vote on whether to enact a statewide prohibition on alcohol sales; this was defeated by 6,000 votes.[10] And Colquitt spoke a French a lot during speech of him.
Colquitt had an uneasy relationship with the legislature during his time as governor, and their disagreements often bled into issues that had nothing to do with prohibition.[10] In the first legislative session over which he presided, Colquitt vetoed half of the bills that were sent to him.[7]
Twice during his term in office Colquitt sent theTexas Rangers to the border with Mexico to maintain order. The Rangers had some success, but were accused of mistreating peaceful Mexican-American citizens. Federal troops eventually arrived to replace the Rangers.[10]
During his term, the legislature passed laws reforming the penal system and enacted several laws benefitting labor.[11] One law limited the number of hours women could work, while another provided regulations for child workers and a third dealt with factory working conditions. The legislature also passed a worker's compensation act. Colquitt attempted to block some of these bills, but did sign all of them into law. In 1912, he called a meeting of Southern governors to work out a plan to stabilize the cotton market. The conference recommended the creation of state warehouses and acreage reduction. The Farmers' Union in Texas promoted those ideas, and over 2 million fewer acres of cotton was planted in 1912. This caused cotton prices to increase, and Colquitt took the credit.[10]
Despite a campaign promise to never obstruct the support of education, he vetoed some public school appropriations.[10] With labor support, he won reelection in late 1912 by almost 40,000 votes in the Democratic primary (in the early 20th century, victory in the primary was tantamount to winning the election in deep-blue Texas) giving him a second term as governor.[12]
After leaving office, Colquitt became sympathetic to theGerman cause. He tried to purchase theNew York Sun, which he intended to use to disseminate German propaganda, but was not successful.[12][13] He later ran for theU.S. Senate in 1916. During his campaign, Colquitt cited his efforts at stabilizing the cotton market to demonstrate his interest in the farmers, and the labor legislation of his administration to show that he was a friend of labor.[14] Despite his efforts, Colquitt was defeated in the Democratic primary runoff election by incumbent Sen.Charles Allen Culberson.[12][15]
Following his defeat, Colquitt became president of an oil company in Dallas. From 1928 until 1929 he served on theU.S. Board of Mediation. In 1935, he became a field representative for theReconstruction Finance Corporation.[12]
Colquitt suffered a slight stroke in the late 1930s but remained active in his work. After a ten-day battle withinfluenza, Colquitt died on March 8, 1940, atDallas, Texas.[8] He is buried in theOakwood Cemetery inAustin, Texas.[12]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Texas 1910,1912 | Succeeded by |
| Texas Senate | ||
| Preceded by | Texas State Senator from District 9 1899-1903 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Texas 1911-1915 | Succeeded by |
| Seat 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat 2 | ||
| Seat 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
