Texas Legislators: Past & Present

William Hamilton Ledbetter

Full Name: William Hamilton Ledbetter
Birth date: December 23, 1834
Death date: April 24, 1896

Terms of Service

Senate, 16th ⁽²⁾ & 15th ⁽⁴⁾ Legislatures
4/18/1876 - 1/11/1881
Democrat
House, 10th ⁽³⁾ Legislature
8/1/1864 - 8/6/1866

(1) Census of 1860, 1870, and 1880 - William H. Ledbetter, La Grange, Fayette County. FamilySearch . 1880
1860
1870
(2) Democrat, 1/14/1879, p. 1. Galveston Daily News .
(3) William Ledbetter, in special election 8/1/1864, sworn in 2nd Called Session, succeeded William Hunt, given leave of absence for remainder of 1st Called Session on 5/23/1864, and died thereafter. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004 2005.
(4) 15th Legislature - All Senators except District 7 listed in roll call as Senators elect, oath of office administered, 4/18/1876, p. 1; Drawing of Senatorial Terms, 4/27/1876, p. 98, drew "long term" (four years). Senate Journal . April 14, 1876
April 27, 1876

Biographical Notes and Resources

Photographs

Photograph. W.H. Ledbetter, State Preservation Board

Other Resources

Biographical sketch in "State Senators Elect: Personal Sketches Completed - Seventeen Lawyers, Seven Grangers, Two Doctors, One Editor and Four Colored Politicians - the Political Structure of the New Senate of Texas," 3/3/1876, p. 2. Galveston Daily News .
LEDBETTER, WILLIAM HAMILTON (1834-1896). Home in La Grange and after his Texas Senate service (after 1880), "he thereafter served several terms as mayor of La Grange." Handbook of Texas Online .
Biographical sketches, Thomas A. Ledbetter, pp. 527-528, and W.H. Ledbetter, pp. 530-531, include information on their father Hamilton Ledbetter. Relatives: Hamilton Ledbetter - father, W.H. Ledbetter, son. Memorial and Genealogical Record of Southwest Texas: Containing Biographical Histories and Genealogical Records of Many Leading Men and Prominent Families 1894.
Included in "Table II, Constitutional Unionists (Identified from newspapers) with Biographical Data," list of leaders of the Texas Constitutional Union Party in 1860. The party was formed in January of 1860. "The Constitutional Union Party in Texas," The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 82, Number 3, January 1979, pp. 238, 256-262, crediting Texas State Historical Association. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) . Table II, Constitutional Unionists
Account of Capt. W.H. Ledbetter, Democratic nominee for Senator from Bastrop and Fayette counties, being challenged by his father, Hamilton Ledbetter, Esq., nominated by "the radicals," election date 12/2/1873, election results for Senator, 26th District, Bastrop County: H. Ledbetter - 1155, W. Ledbetter - 1063; Fayette County: W. Ledbetter - 1506, H. Ledbetter - 1709. Bastrop Advertiser, 11/15/1873, col. 2, 11/29/1873, and 12/20/1873. Crediting Bastrop Public Library. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) . November 15, 1873 November 29, 1873

December 20, 1873

November 8, 1873

Biographical sketch, pp. 43-44. "[Current] Senator W.H. Ledbetter was born in Tennessee, but came to Texas with his father, Col. W.H. Ledbetter. . . Mr. Ledbetter was once a Whig, but when the Whig party went down he accepted the situation, became a Democrat." Served previously in called session of the 10th Legislature. Sketches of Legislators and State Officers, Fifteenth Legislature, 1876-1878 1876.
Biographical sketch, pp. 247-248. William Hamilton Ledbetter, of La Grange, Fayette County. Texas Legislative Manual, 1879-80 1879.
Biographical sketch, p. 193. The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889 1999.
Biographical sketch, Capt. William H. Ledbetter, Footprints of Fayette. Obituary, "Capt. Ledbetter Dead," Dallas Morning News, 4/26/1896. Fayette County, TXGenWeb Project . Obituary Biographical sketch
"Capt. W.H. Ledbetter, Democratic candidate for State Senator, is running against his father Hamilton Ledbetter, People's Convention candidate for same. Hamilton was also nominated as a candidate for same by the Republican Party." Abstracts from Bastrop Advertiser, 11/8/1873, Bastrop County. USGenWeb Project 1996.