Texas Legislators: Past & Present

Johnson Wren

Full Name: Johnson Wren
Birth date: 1805
Death date: Deceased, date unknown

Terms of Service

Senate, 7th ⁽³⁾ ⁽¹⁰⁾ ⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹³⁾ Legislature
11/2/1857 - 11/7/1859
Senate, 6th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾ Legislature
11/16/1855 - 11/2/1857
Senate, 5th ⁽⁵⁾ ⁽⁸⁾ Legislature
11/14/1853 - 11/5/1855
House, 4th Legislature
11/3/1851 - 11/7/1853
House, 3rd ⁽⁷⁾ Legislature
11/5/1849 - 11/3/1851
House, 2nd ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽⁶⁾ Legislature
12/13/1847 - 11/5/1849

(1) HOPKINS COUNTY. "Hopkins County was created from parts of Lamar and Nacogdoches counties in March 1846 by the first Texas state legislature." Handbook of Texas Online .
(2) W.H. Bourland and Johnson Wren, Lamar County. House Journal .
(3) Listed in "Senators holding over: Democrats." 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) "In Lamar, a number of the candidates are in the field for the Senate . . . probably Hon. Johnson Wren," "Candidates for the Legislature," Galveston Weekly News, 5/29/1855, p. 2, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
(5) Roster of members elect of the 5th Legislature, state elections, 1853. Texas State Gazette (Austin, Texas), 8/20/1853, p. 3, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
(6) Roster of members of the 2nd Legislature, The Texas Democrat (Austin, Texas), 12/15/1847, p. 2, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
(7) Roster of members elect of the 3rd Legislature, Matthewson, R.C., Texas State Gazette (Austin, Texas), 9/29/1849, p. 6, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
(8) 5th Legislature - Presented his credentials, qualified, and took his seat, 11/14/1853, p. 44. Senate Journal .
(9) 6th Legislature, Regular Session - Qualified and took his seat, 11/16/1855, p. 78. Senate Journal .
(10) 7th Legislature - Not present at organization of the Senate, pp. 1, 4. First mentioned in appointments to Senate committees, 11/4/1857, p. 10. Senate Journal .
(11) Members of the Seventh Legislature, Biographical Notes - Members, April 1937 issue. Southern Historical Research Magazine 1937.
(12) 6th Legislature - Listed in the "19 members of the Senate [who] retained their seats from the 5th Legislature," p. 258. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861 1990.
(13) 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

Resolutions and Journal entries

5th Legislature - Roll of Members, Johnson Wren, age 48 (born circa 1805), native state Kentucky, emigrated from Illinois in 1840, farmer, postoffice Black Jack G., Hopkins County. House Journal .

Other Resources

Census of 1850 - Johnson Wren, Hopkins County, age 45, born circa 1805 in Kentucky, farmer, in household with Elizabeth Wren.
Census of 1860 - Johnson Wren, Beat No. 4, Black Jack Grove post office, Hopkins County, age 55, born circa 1805 in Kentucky, farmer. FamilySearch . 1860 1850
Mentioned in history of Senatorial redistricting for Lamar County, "Backward Glances (from the scrapbooks of the late A.W. Neville, Editor of the Paris News, 1936-1956, 3/14/1951)," republished 8/26/1976, p. 6. Paris News .
"Johnson Wren located in the northwestern part of the county and was the first representative in the State Legislature." Fleming, E.B. Early History of Hopkins County, Texas: Biographical Sketches and Incidents of the Early Settled Families, Chapter VI, p. 50, 1902. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries) .
Biographical notes, p. 244. Farmer from Kentucky, served in the House in the 2nd-4th Legislatures. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861 1990.