William Harrison Westfall

Full Name: William Harrison Westfall
Date of birth: December 16, 1822
Date of death: Deceased, date unknown

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	28	Jan 13, 1874 - Apr 18, 1876	14th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾	Democrat	Liberty Hill / Williamson		Blanco, Burnet, Concho, Lampasas, Llano, McCulloch, San Saba, Travis, Williamson
H	28	Jan 14, 1873 - Jan 13, 1874	13th	Democrat	Liberty Hill / Williamson		Bell, Brown, Coleman, Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Hamilton, Hays, Lampasas, McCulloch, San Saba, Travis, Williamson

(1) Entire Senate went up for reelection due to Senatorial redistricting. Ordinance adopted by Constitutional Convention of the State of Texas, 1875. Remained in effect from its passage until first reapportionment after 1880 Census. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History. Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950, 1950.
(2) Postoffice: Liberty Hill, Williamson County. Directory of the Members and Officers of the Fourteenth Legislature of the State of Texas . . ., 1874.
(3) Burnet, Burnet County. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
(4) 14th Legislature, Regular Session - Roll call of Senators elect, oath of office administered, 1/13/1874, p. 1. Senate Journal.
(5) "Because of the adoption of the new constitution [of 1876], any member of the 14th Legislature who wished to continue to serve had to run for reelection," p. 220. The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889, 1999.

Terms of Service top

Senate District 28
Jan 13, 1874 - Apr 18, 1876
Legislatures: 14th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Liberty Hill / Williamson
Counties in district: Blanco, Burnet, Concho, Lampasas, Llano, McCulloch, San Saba, Travis, Williamson

House District 28
Jan 14, 1873 - Jan 13, 1874
Legislatures: 13th
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Liberty Hill / Williamson
Counties in district: Bell, Brown, Coleman, Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Hamilton, Hays, Lampasas, McCulloch, San Saba, Travis, Williamson

Biographical Information top

Biographical Sketches

Portrait and biographical sketch, William Harrison Westfall, M.D., Burnet, pp. 196-199. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, 1890.
Biographical sketch, William Harrison Westfall, p. 197. Born 12/16/1822. Lived in Williamson County at time of election to Texas House in 1872; in Senate of 14th Legislature, physician William Henry Westfall "of Burnet." Moved back to Austin in 1876 and Burnet in 1879. "Opened quarry at Granite Mountain which provided the stone for the new [State] Capitol." The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889, 1999.

Other Resources

William Harrison "W.H." Westfall, M.D., birth date 12/13/1822 in Buckhannon, Upshur County, West Virginia; death date "abt 1905/6" in Burnet, Burnet County, Texas; marriage to Mary Almira "Allie" Bates 11/20/1853 in Henry County, Missouri. Residence in Bagdad, Williamson County, Texas, 1860; Liberty Hill, Williamson County, Texas, in 1870; and Burnet County, Texas, in 1880 and 1900. Ancestry.com.
Census of 1860 - W.H. Westfall, Bagdad, Williamson County, age 36, born circa 1824 in Virginia, farmer.
Census of 1870 - William Westfall, Williamson County, age 47, born circa 1823 in Virginia, physician.
Census of 1880 - William H. Westfall, Burnet County, age 57, born circa 1823 in Virginia, physician and surgeon.
Census of 1900 - William H. Westfall, Burnet County, age 78, born December 1822 in West Virginia, banker.
Manifest for the S.S. Mexican "Victoria" sailing from Ensenada, Mexico, 11/29/1911 - William H. Westfall, age 89, doctor of medicine, last permanent residence in San Diego. FamilySearch. 1860 1870 1880 1900 California, San Diego Passenger Lists, 1904-1952
House Concurrent Resolution No. 4, 21st Legislature, Regular Session, General Laws, 2/25/1889, acknowledging donation by W.H. Westfall, G.W. Lacy, and N.L. Norton of granite for new State Capitol. Gammel, Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen. The Laws of Texas, 1822-1897, Volume 9, p. 1201. General Laws of the State of Texas.
Mentioned in GRANITE MOUNTAIN AND MARBLE FALLS CITY RAIL ROAD. Handbook of Texas Online.
"The Burnet Bank Closes," Austin Daily Statesman, 2/27/1902, p. 2. "It is reported her that the banking firm of W.H. Westfall and Co. of Burnet has closed its doors . . ."
"Banker Surrenders," El Paso Daily Times, 6/3/1905, p. 1, crediting Abilene Library Consortium.
"Westfall Case Goes Over: Defendant Charged with Banking Offense Too Ill to Appear," The Austin Statesman, 8/8/1905, p. 7.
"The Westfall Case: Continued Because of Illness of Defendant," The Houston Post, 8/10/1905, p. 5. "Dr. W.H. Westfall, formerly president of the bank of Westfall & Co., at Burnet . . . has been residing in California for several years."
"Bonds Were Forfeited," The Lampasas Leader, 2/2/1906, p. 1, crediting Lampasas Public Library. "It is stated that Dr. Westfall is in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is 84 years of age and was formerly state senator of this district."
Death notice, "Mrs. M.E. Westfall," The Austin Statesman, 6/11/1912, p. 5. "Mrs. M.E. Westfall, wife of Dr. W.H. Westfall of San Diego County, California . . . The Westfalls were residents of this city about twenty years ago, and are well known throughout the county." Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries). 2/2/1906 2/27/1902 6/11/1912 6/3/1905 8/10/1905 8/8/1905
Mentioned in "Through the Years - San Saba Representatives in Legislative History," 4/1/1948, p. 9. San Saba News.

Photographs

Photograph. W.H. Westfall, 14th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. W.H. Westfall, 13th Legislature, DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs
Photograph. W.H. Westfall, 13th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

13th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
14th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
13th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
Pictorial Monogram of the State Government of Texas 1873 (DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Collection). DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs.

Committee Information top

14th R.S. - 1874 Asylums Contingent Expenses Education (Chair) Enrolled Bills Indian Affairs and Frontier Protection Internal Improvements Lighting the State House with Gas (Co-Chair) Lunatic Asylum Sanitary Legislation State Affairs Travis County Jail, Select
13th R.S. - 1873 Agriculture and Stock Raising Apportionment Education Immigration Immigration Laws and Bureau of Immigration Indian Affairs Lampasas County Disturbance Redistricting Towns and City Corporations

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