Meshack Roberts
Full Name: Meshack R. "Shack" RobertsDate of birth: 1821
Date of death: Deceased, date unknown
Terms of Service top
| Chamber | District | Dates of Service | Legislatures | Party | City/County | Note | Counties in District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | 10 | Apr 18, 1876 - Jan 14, 1879 | 15th (1) | Republican | Marshall / Harrison | Harrison | |
| H | 5 | Jan 13, 1874 - Apr 18, 1876 | 14th (2) | Republican | Marshall / Harrison | Harrison, Rusk | |
| H | 7 | Jan 14, 1873 - Jan 13, 1874 | 13th (3) | Republican | Marshall / Harrison | Harrison |
(1) Mentioned in "The news from Austin . . . Resignations of Representative Barziza and four others accepted after critical debate . . . Hunter restored to his seat . . . Other resignations not improbable," Thursday, 8/3/1876, p. 1. Galveston Daily News.
(2) Republican. Directory of the Members and Officers of the Fourteenth Legislature of the State of Texas . . ., 1874.
(3) Republican. Directory of the Members of the Thirteenth Legislature of the State of Texas, 1873.
Terms of Service top
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House District 10
Apr 18, 1876 - Jan 14, 1879 Legislatures: 15th (1) Party: Republican Home City/County: Marshall / Harrison Counties in district: Harrison |
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House District 5
Jan 13, 1874 - Apr 18, 1876 Legislatures: 14th (2) Party: Republican Home City/County: Marshall / Harrison Counties in district: Harrison, Rusk |
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House District 7
Jan 14, 1873 - Jan 13, 1874 Legislatures: 13th (3) Party: Republican Home City/County: Marshall / Harrison Counties in district: Harrison |
(1) Mentioned in "The news from Austin . . . Resignations of Representative Barziza and four others accepted after critical debate . . . Hunter restored to his seat . . . Other resignations not improbable," Thursday, 8/3/1876, p. 1. Galveston Daily News.
(2) Republican. Directory of the Members and Officers of the Fourteenth Legislature of the State of Texas . . ., 1874.
(3) Republican. Directory of the Members of the Thirteenth Legislature of the State of Texas, 1873.
Biographical Information top
Resolutions and Journal entries
- 79th Legislature, R.S., HR 589, paying tribute to African American legislators and constitutional convention delegates of 1868-1900. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
- 85th Legislature, R.S., HR 452, celebrating Black History Month and honoring the leadership and vision of African American lawmakers. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
- 88th Legislature, R.S., SCR 13, Recognizing the Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. SB 667, Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary. SB 667 SCR 13
- 88th Legislature, R.S., SCR 13, Recognizing the Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. SB 667, Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. Resolutions - Legislative Policy. SB 667 SCR 13
Biographical Sketches
- Portrait and biographical sketch. Forever Free: Nineteenth Century African-American Legislators and Constitutional Convention Delegates of Texas, 2002.
- ROBERTS, MESHACK (?-?). Handbook of Texas Online.
- Biographical sketch, p. 115. A History of Upshur County, Texas, 1966.
- Biographical sketch, Chapter VI, "Black Belt Politics," pp. 103-104. The Negro in Texas, 1874-1900, 1971.
- Biographical sketch, Meshack Roberts, pp. 65-68, 72. Negro Legislators of Texas and Their Descendants: A History of the Negro in Texas Politics from Reconstruction to Disfranchisement, 1935.
- Biographical sketch, S.R. Roberts, pp. 68-69. "He is fifty-eight years old." Sketches of Legislators and State Officers, Fifteenth Legislature, 1876-1878, 1876.
- Biographical sketch, pp. 38, 40. Birth year 1821, Appendix D. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares: Black Leadership in Texas, 1868-1898, 2016.
Other Resources
- Mentioned, p. 67. Black Texans: a History of African Americans in Texas, 1528-1995, 1996.
- Mentioned in Minority Civil Rights and the Texas Legislature, 2018.
- Mentioned in Negro Legislators of Texas and Their Descendants, 1970.
- Harrison County "continued to support a Republican delegation to the state legislature" in 1873: Webster Flanagan to the State Senate, Shack Roberts ("black leader from Harrison County") and Ed Brown ("Negro from Rusk County, as a representative of the two county district") to the House, p. 310. A Southern Community in Crisis: Harrison County, Texas, 1850-1880, 1983.
- Shack Roberts, Republican state representative, pp. 308, 310, 313-314,325; "redemption" election of 1878, pp. 354, 364. A Southern Community in Crisis: Harrison County, Texas, 1850-1880, 1983.
- Mentioned, pp. 98, 135. Time of Hope, Time of Despair: Black Texans During Reconstruction, 1981.
Photographs
- Photograph. S. Roberts, 15th Legislature, State Preservation Board
- Photograph. S. Roberts, 14th Legislature, State Preservation Board
- Photograph. S. Roberts, 13th Legislature, DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs
- Photograph. Meschack (Shack) R. Roberts, 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.
- 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.
- 15th session composite photo of 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
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15th R.S. - 1876
Roads, Bridges and Ferries | ||
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14th R.S. - 1874
Claims and Accounts Counties and County Boundaries Roads, Bridges and Ferries | ||
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13th R.S. - 1873
Immigration Private Land Claims |
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