Texas Legislators: Past & Present

John Caldwell

Full Name: John Caldwell
Birth date: December 10, 1802
Death date: October 22, 1870

Terms of Service

Senate, 7th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁸⁾ & 6th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ Legislatures
11/5/1855 - 11/7/1859

(1) Webberville is 15 miles east of Austin in eastern Travis County. Handbook of Texas Online .
(2) Webberville, Travis County. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004 2005.
(3) Listed in "Senators holding over: Opposition." Civilian and Gazette. Weekly. (Galveston, Texas), 9/8/1857, p. 2, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
(4) Included "[a]mong 1855 legislators that this writer has positively identified as Know Nothings." The party was active in Texas at the state level between 1855 and 1857. "An Analysis of the Texas Know Nothings," The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 70, Number 3, January 1967, pp. 414, 416-417, crediting Texas State Historical Association. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
(5) 6th Legislature, Regular Session - Roll of Senators elected since the last adjournment presented their credentials, and being qualified, took their seats, 11/5/1855, p. 2. Senate Journal .
(6) 7th Legislature - Roll of Senators (holdover Senator), 11/2/1857, pp. 1, 4. Senate Journal .
(7) 6th Legislature - "The Know-Nothings claimed to have won 11 of 33 seats in the Senate in 1855. Although only 5 - John Caldwell, William H. Martin, William M. Taylor, James W. Flanagan, and Elisha E. Lott - can be positively identified . . .", p. 258. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861 1990.
(8) 7th Legislature - Listed in "large cadre of returning senators," p. 276. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861 1990.

Biographical Notes and Resources

Other Resources

Biographical sketch, John Caldwell, "pioneer Bastrop legislator," p. 62. "At this time, too [of his service in the Texas Senate in the 6th-7th Legislatures] . . . he was elected president of the American, or Know-Nothing, Party when the State Convention was held at Austin, 1/21/1856." Died of pneumonia "at his home in Bastrop," 10/22/1870. Biographical Directory of the Texan Conventions and Congresses, 1832-1845 1942.
Census of 1850 - John Caldwell, Bastrop County, age 47, born in KY, farmer.
Census of 1860 - John Caldwell, Bastrop Post Office, Bastrop County, age 57, born in KY, farmer. FamilySearch . 1860 1850
John Caldwell, birth date 12/10/1802, death date 10/22/1870, portrait, burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Austin, Travis County. Find a Grave .
CALDWELL, JOHN (1802-1870), "settled in 1834 in Bastrop County on the Navarro league, which was deeded to Caldwell on 4/2/1833 . . . became commissioner of Bastrop County in 1840. He represented the county in the House of the 3rd-8th Congresses." Handbook of Texas Online .
Sketches of John and Lucinda Caldwell included in Haynie Genealogy, Their 1650 Virginia Roots, 1839 Texas Trunk, Nine Limbs . . . "The Caldwells established themselves . . . some eighteen miles below Austin." HeritageQuest Online .
Portrait and biographical sketch, Hon. John Caldwell, pp. 225-229. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas 1890.
Delegate to Constitutional Convention, 1845. Journals of the Convention, assembled at the city of Austin on the Fourth of July, 1845, for the purpose of framing a constitution for the State of Texas, pp. 377-378. Austin: Miner & Cruger, printers to the Convention, 1845. Texas Constitutions Digitization Project (Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin) 2009.
Biographical sketch, pp. 145-146, 259; Senator in the 9th Congress, pp. 151-157. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861 1990.