Peter W. Gray (December 12, 1819 – October 3, 1874) was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator fromTexas. He represented Texas in theConfederate House of Representatives, and briefly served on theTexas Supreme Court.
Gray was born toWilliam Fairfax Gray and Mary "Millie" (Stone) Gray inFredericksburg, Virginia on December 12, 1819. In 1838, he moved toHouston, Texas, with his parents and siblings. Heread law with his father and was admitted to the bar.[1]
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After his father died, Gray was appointed Houston’s District Attorney on April 24, 1841, remaining in the job until Texas became a state in 1845. He also served the city of Houston as an Alderman and on the local board of health.[1]
Gray was elected to the House of Representatives in thefirst Texas state legislature in 1846, then authored the first procedural code in Texas.[2]
In 1848 he founded theHouston Lyceum, which later became theHouston Public Library. He was elected to theTexas State Senate in 1854, then served as a State District Court Judge from 1856 to 1861.
In 1861, Gray attended the Texas State Secession Convention, and voted to leave the union. In November that year, he was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. After the war he returned to his law practice in Houston,Gray, Botts & Baker. In 1874 he quit his practice upon being appointed as an associate justice of theTexas Supreme Court, but served only a few months before resigning due to declining health.
Gray died at home in Houston oftuberculosis, and is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.[1] He was an activeEpiscopalian and aMason.Gray County, Texas, is named in his honor.[3][1]
Gray, Millie Richards Stone (1967).The Diary of Millie Gray, 1832-1840. Galveston, Texas: Rosenberg Library Press.
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| Preceded by | Texas State Senator from District 17 1854–1856 | Succeeded by |
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