Rep. Edith Wilmans was the first woman elected to the Texas Legislature. (Photo courtesy of the State Preservation Board)

An online exhibit with the Austin Public Library focuses on the Austin Suffrage Association, headed by Jane McCallum (pictured above).

The owners and workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, 1910.

Texas Women: Then and Now

Third in a series of posts about the 33rd Legislature, held 100 years ago. Read the previous posts here and here.

Suffrage

By 1913, woman's suffrage had already been an issue for more than forty years—it was discussed at the state Constitutional Convention of 1868-69. Many Western states, in fact, had already granted women the right to vote. In 1907, Representative Jess Baker had introduced an unsuccessful resolution to give women the vote (HJR 17).

During the 33rd Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, Representative Frank Burmeister introduced HJR 9, giving women the right to vote. While the committee gave it a favorable report, the resolution did not progress any further. The committee minority report states that there was no "popular demand" among women in Texas for the vote, but the very same year, the Texas Woman Suffrage Association was formed (later to become the League of Women Voters of Texas), following the foundation of woman's suffrage clubs in Austin and San Antonio a few years earlier. Five years later, Texas women would gain the right to vote in primaries (1918), and the full right to vote in 1919 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.

"We oppose the effort to reduce the standard of womanhood and we deprecate the effort to dash from the high pedestal upon which Southern manhood has placed them, the wives and daughters of the South and especially of Texas." -Commitee Minority Report

Property Rights and Labor Laws

The legislators of the 33rd Regular Session passed a major milestone for women regarding marital property rights. Houston attorney Hortense S. Ward, one of the first women admitted to the Texas State Bar, worked to help HB 22 by Representative W.B. Goodner become law.

While husbands remained in control of community property, the new law allowed wives to control rent and other income from their own property holdings, as well as income from her stocks and bonds. In addition, wives could now exclusively control  their own bank accounts. Previously, a husband could access a bank account held solely in his wife's name.  Married women in Texas would not see full property and other rights until 1967; the 1913 law was a major step forward.

Female labor laws were also a concern during this time period. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire had occurred just two years prior. In 1913, legislators passed SB 30, by Senator O.S. Lattimore, that limited the number of hours females could work. The hours varied by profession (a maximum of 10 or 11 hours in 24 hours and no more than 54 hours per week). The following session, the hours would be further reduced to nine. In 1918, several protections for females in the workplace would be set in place, just as women were entering the workforce because of World War I.

Texas Women in 2013

Since gaining the right to vote in 1919, Texas women have made their voices heard as voters and as legislators and elected officials. Representative Edith Wilmans became the first woman elected to the Texas Legislature in 1923. Today, women make up 21% of the legislature, with 31 representatives and 7 senators. Women serve in our congressional delegation and in high elected office, such as Comptroller Susan Combs. More than 4.5 million Texas women voted in the 2008 presidential election, accounting for 54% of the state electorate.

• How does Texas compare to other states in terms of number of female legislators? Take a look at this map by the National Conference of State Legislators.
• The Governor's Commission for Women was created in 1967 by Gov. John Connally and has been in continuous existence since 1987. Today, the Commission focuses on four specific areas: increasing female participation in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math); assisting women who are older than 50 with workforce skills and job placement; providing assistance to women in military households; and expanding education about women's health issues.
• March is Women’s History Month, a tradition that began in 1909 with National Women’s Day (now International Women’s Day). Learn more about famous Texas women through the Ruthe Winegarten Foundation.

You can learn more about women's issues in Texas and nationwide through resources in the Legislative Reference Library. Books such as "Women and the Texas Revolution," provide historical perspective. Legislative and agency reports going back to the 1970s, such as an interim committee report from 1988 on women and minority-owned businesses, provide context for legislation.

To find current and historic legislation related to women, use the Legislative Archive System and the Texas Legislature Online and peruse the subject list. There are many applicable subjects, such as "Women's Health Program (S0698,)" "Women's Shelters (S0049)," or “Women (I0925).”

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Walter Acker was the last Confederate veteran  to serve in the Texas Legislature.  (Photo courtesy of the State Preservation Board)

In 1913, the Texas Confederate Museum was located in the west wing of the Capitol, in what is now the Agricultural Museum/meeting room.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, chair of the Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee, presenting a Quilt of Valor to honoree SPC Cody Miller.

Sandra Smith, Adria Garcia, Cassaundra St. John, and Victoria Wegwert with the F7 Group, which works to empower female veterans and their families.

Photos by Amy Batheja except as noted.

Second in a series of posts about the 33rd Legislature, held 100 years ago. Read the first post here.

One hundred years ago, the U.S. observed the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Civil War. Many of those who fought in the war were still alive, and taking care of these aging veterans had been an ongoing issue since the end of the war.

Confederate Pensions

While Union Army veteran pensions were covered by the federal government, care of Confederate veterans was left up to individual states. In 1899, Texas began issuing pensions to indigent and disabled former Confederate soldiers. The pension rolls grew every year; in 1905 there were approximately 7,680 pensioners on the rolls, and by November of 1913 there were 14,980. The number of pensioners would reach 18,128 by the following year (1914). This increase was due, in part, to the expansion in 1912 of benefits to more recent residents of the state.

The law allowed for a distribution of $8.33 per month ($100/year). However, the law also allowed that if not enough money was available, the veterans would receive a pro rata amount of what was available. Although the legislature allotted $500,000 each year to the fund, it was not enough; pensioners received just $42 for the entire year ending in 1913.

The situation improved when Texas voters passed a constitutional amendment in 1912 approving an ad valorem tax that would specifically go toward funding Confederate pensions. In 1917, for example, pensioners received $22 in one quarter (approx. $88/year). The tax was repealed in 1979, and language about the pension fund was  removed from the Constitution in 1999, as part of a clean-up of "duplicative, executed, obsolete, archaic, and ineffective provisions."

• Confederate Homes for Men and Women housed those unable to care for themselves; read more about the men's home and the women's home in the Handbook of Texas Online.
• For more information about the full history of pension amounts, visit this link at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
• Search the online index of pension applications: https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/apps/arc/pensions/

Caring for Veterans in 2013

During this session, legislators have introduced a number of bills and resolutions regarding veterans. Many of them are related to taxes, especially the homestead property tax exemption amendment passed in 2011. View them all by searching TLO; set the bill type to "all" and search by subjects "Military & Veterans (I0535)" and "Resolutions - Constitutional Amendments (I0661)."

Other bills include:

• facilitating the occupational licensing of veterans and their spouses (SB 162 by Senator Leticia Van de Putte and HB 45 by Representative Dan Flynn; SB 242 by Senator John Carona; HB 757 by Representative Joe Pickett)
• adding disabled veterans to the list of business owners who may be certified as having a historically underutilized business (SB 116 by Senator Juan Hinojosa and HB 194 by Representatives Joe Farias and Bennett Ratliff)
• establishing veteran resource centers at state colleges and universities (HB 171 by Representative Roberto Alonzo)
• granting leave to new veterans who are employed by the state so they may tend to matters related to civilian reintegration (SB 442 by Senator Brian Birdwell)

Since 2007, legislators have honored wounded veterans during a Wounded Warrior day (SR 68 by Senator Leticia Van de Putte) at the Capitol.  Recently, six veterans were honored on the floor of the Senate, including Senator Brian Birdwell, a retired U.S. Army officer who was wounded in the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon.

To view all veteran-related bills that have been filed during the 83rd Regular Session, visit Texas Legislature Online and search directly under the subject Military & Veterans (I0535).

Did You Know?

There are many monuments on the Capitol grounds honoring veterans, but the newest monument will have its groundbreaking on March 25, 2013. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be located on the northeast side of the Capitol, near the Peace Officers Memorial, and will be dedicated this fall. Click here to learn more about the groundbreaking and see 3-D renderings of the monument.

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Rep. William T. 'Lion of Lavaca' Bagby (Click photo to view the composite photo of the House of Representatives for 33rd Legislature)

Percent of land area in farms, 1910 (click photo to enlarge)

Population density, 1910 (click photo to enlarge)

Composite photo source:  Legislative Reference Library Maps Source: 1910 Census

One hundred years ago, Texas legislators convened in January 1913 for the 33rd Legislative Session. While Texas was in some ways a very different state than it is today, many of the issues the legislators faced have a familiar ring: school funding, veteran care, drought and water rights, the border with Mexico, women's rights, and hazing at universities. Over the next few months, we'll take a look at these issues and how legislators one hundred years ago addressed them.

For our first post, let's take a broad look at what was happening in the U.S.. and in Texas in 1913...

In the U.S.. and the World

• The Progressive Era was in full swing. Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected president in 1912; the party platform focused on states’ rights and individual freedom, and called for environmental conservation, banking and currency reform, and abolition of monopolies.
• The majority of Americans (54%) still lived in rural areas, but the percentage was quickly changing. In 1920, the percentage of urban dwellers would cross 50% for the first time.
• World War I would begin in Europe the following year, though the U.S. would not enter the war until 1917.
• Two new constitutional amendments went into effect in 1913: the establishment of a federal income tax (16th amendment) and the direct election of senators (17th amendment).
• Though Prohibition would not begin until 1919, various states had passed bans on liquor and the Texas legislature would take up the issue during the 33rd session.
• The Mexican Revolution had begun  in 1910. La Decena Tragica, the Ten Tragic Days, occurred in February of 1913, culminating with the murder of President Madero, who had led the revolution, and a coup d’etat by General Victoriano Huerta.

In Texas

• Texas had become a state 67 years prior. To the people of 1913, statehood was as far away as the end of World War II is for us today.
• Governor Oscar Branch Colquitt, inaugurated two years prior in 1911, would serve as governor until 1915. The Handbook of Texas notes that he "was one of the most effective stump speakers in the history of Texas."
• In 1909, Texas was the largest producer of cottonseed oil in the nation, with 21% of all production. The slaughterhouse industry was also on the rise; the 1910 census noted that "There were 242,174, or 84.9 per cent, more beeves slaughtered in 1909 than in 1904." (Beeves was a term for cow or steer - where the UT mascot name Bevo originates!)
• The oil boom was in its infancy; oil had been discovered at Spindletop just 12 years prior.
• The present state capitol building had been dedicated 25 years earlier, in 1888.
• In the spring of 1913, Sam Rayburn was sworn in as U.S. Congressman. He would go on to become the longest-serving Speaker of the House, serving 17 years under four presidents.

Texas Demographics:

 

	1910	2010
Total population	3.9 million	25.1 million
Pop. density	14.8 per sq. mile	96.3 per sq. mile
% of pop. under 25	49%	38%
% of pop. in urban areas	24%	86%

 

Learn more about the era with books and reports from our collection:

• Session laws from the 33rd Regular Session and the 33rd First Called Session
• Vetoes by Governor Colquitt for the 33rd Regular Session and the 33rd First Called Session
• Search legislative reports and committee charges by subject, keyword, committee name, legislative session, and chamber.
• Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1910: Abstract of the Census. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913. Call number: 317.3 UN3 1910
• Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1910: Abstract of the Census with supplement for Texas. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913. Call number: 317.3 UN3 1910T
• Humphrey, R. B. Texas liquor laws. Austin: Southern Law Book Publishers, 1915. Call number: 351.761 H88T
• Potts, C.S. “Some Practical Problems of Prison Reform,” in Bulletin of the University of Texas, No. 162, Humanistic Series No. 10. Austin: University of Texas Press, December 8, 1910. Call number: Z UA200.7 B874I 1882-1942
• Tarde, Gabriel de, and Repelje Howell, trans. Penal Philosophy. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1912. Call number: 343.2 T172
• Whisenhunt, Donald W. “Texas in the Progressive Era, 1900-1930,” in Texas: A Sesquicentennial Celebration. Austin: Eakin Press, 1984. Call number: 976.4 W578T
• White, E.V. and E.E. Davis. “A study of rural schools in Texas,” in Bulletin of the University of Texas, No. 364, Extension Series No. 62. Austin: University of Texas Press, October 10, 1914. Call number: Z UA200.7 B874 364
• Yoakum, Clarence Stone. “Care of the Feeble-Minded and Insane in Texas,” in Bulletin of the University of Texas, No. 369, Humanistic Series No. 16. Austin: University of Texas Press, November 5, 1914. Call number: Z UA200.7 B874 369

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We are delighted to welcome guest columnist Richard Eisenhour, Collections Coordinator at the Texas State Preservation Board, to tell us about one of the Library's most frequently requested items, Santa Anna's Chair.

This entry was posted on July 23, 2012 at 8:00 AM and has received 8756 views. Print this entry.

Over the last year, the library has worked hard to scan House and Senate journals to make them available on our website. Part of this project included scanning congressional journals from the Republic of Texas. These journals date to the period between 1836 and 1845, just before Texas became a state. At that time, the Republic of Texas had formed as a separate nation after gaining independence from Mexico.

Reading through the journals of the First Congress gives you a sense of how much things have changed:

• The Congress that year consisted of 14 senators and 29 representatives, as opposed to the 150 representatives and 31 senators that make up today's state legislative body.  
• Since no capital had yet been established, the First Congress met in Columbia, TX (today's West Columbia in Brazoria County).
•  In his State of the State address, ad interim President David C. Burnet told the members of Congress, "To you is committed the beginning of legislation, and as you shall lay the foundation, so will be reared the superstructure."  He stressed the importance of adopting a plan for "permanent and certain revenue," and for building up the military organization, whose "strength has been fluctuating on account of the frequent accession and discharges of volunteers under short enlistment."   

The journals include familiar names like Sam Houston, twice President of the Republic of Texas and later Governor of the State of Texas (1859-1861), and J. Pinckney Henderson, Attorney General and Secretary of State in the early years of the Republic, and later the State of Texas' first Governor (1846-47).

Journals for all nine congresses of the Republic of Texas are available online at:  http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/collections/journals/journals.cfm#republic

The library wishes to thank the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History (University of Texas at Austin), the Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for generously lending us individual congressional journals not present in our own collection.

This entry was posted on May 23, 2012 at 4:39 PM and has received 5349 views. Print this entry.

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army, led by Texas native General Ignacio Seguin Zaragoza, defeated a much larger expeditionary French force near Puebla at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. The Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorates the victory and is also celebrated in Texas and throughout the Southwest. Zaragoza became a national hero in Mexico, but died of typhoid fever the following September.

The Zaragoza Birthplace State Historic Site was established near Goliad to honor the Texas-born General (Parks & Wildlife Code, Sec. 22.082). In 1961, the 57th Legislature authorized transfer of the Zaragoza birthplace site from Goliad County to the State Parks Board, and in 1971, the 62nd Legislature made the Zaragoza site a part of Goliad State Park. On September 13, 1980, the Governor of Puebla presented a 10-foot, 3,000 pound bronze statue of Zaragoza to Goliad State Park.

Celebrate the 150th anniversary by spending 36 Hours in Puebla, Mexico [New York Times, April 19, 2012] or checking out What's On in Puebla for the 150th Cinco de Mayo [All About Puebla].

Sources:
Ron Stone, The Book of Texas Days, Shearer Pub., 1984
Handbook of Texas Online, Texas native Zaragoza repels French army on Cinco De Mayo, May 5, 1862, Ignacio Seguin Zaragoza, General Zaragoza State Historic Site, and Goliad State Historical Park
Mary Love Bigony, "Two Nations Honor Texas-Born Hero,"Texas Parks and Wildlife, December 1980

General Ignacio Zaragoza, ca. 1850-1862
Courtesy of the Library of Congress

This entry was posted on May 4, 2012 at 8:04 AM and has received 3614 views. Print this entry.

Texas was suffering from a severe drought. Transportation planning, taxes, and public school finance were topics of debate.  It sounds familiar – but this was the nineteenth century, not the twenty-first. 

In 1883, the 18th Legislature passed, and voters approved, a constitutional amendment providing for an ad valorem tax for the support of public schools, but additional legislation was needed. 

 
 

Meanwhile, the drought exacerbated conflicts between landless cowboys and ranchers who had fenced their land – and occasionally neighboring public land – with barbed wire. Desperate to find water and grazing for their herds, organized bands of cowboys with names like Blue Devils and Javelinas took to cutting fences, causing millions of dollars of damage. 

 
 

The conflict between cattle ranchers and fence cutters was reaching the point of crisis; landowners demanded action, but there were no laws that would allow an adequate response.

 
 

In January of 1884, Governor Ireland called the Legislature into special session to address public school finance, fence cutting, and other issues. By the end of the special session, laws had been passed to make the willful cutting of fences a crime; to forbid landowners from fencing public lands; to alter the system of school finance; and to improve county roads.

Whether you are interested historical issues, like the fence-cutting wars, or in subjects of recurring interest, like school finance and transportation, the Legislative Archive System can help. With the Legislative Archive System, you can search for passed legislation back to 1883 by bill number, session law chapter, and caption. 

Additional search options and resources are available for more recent sessions. For assistance using LAS, please contact the library.

This entry was posted on February 6, 2012 at 5:02 PM and has received 3023 views. Print this entry.

Was Texas the real site of the first Thanksgiving? According to many historians, the first Thanksgiving celebration in the United States took place in 1598 near El Paso. An expedition led by Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate journeyed from Mexico and, after months of arduous travel, arrived at the Rio Grande near what is now San Elizario. The exploration party and the indigenous people celebrated their accomplishment with a feast and Catholic ceremonies - 23 years before the Pilgrims held their famous dinner at Plymouth Rock.

The Texas House and Senate each commemorated this historical milestone in 1990, and Gov. Rick Perry has recognized April 30 as the official day of the First Thanksgiving. For 20 years, the El Paso Mission Trail Association has conducted an annual historical reenactment of the event, and their work was honored by the Texas House in 2006.

This entry was posted on November 21, 2011 at 3:10 PM and has received 8382 views. Print this entry.

Are you wondering when the recent Texas wildfires were officially declared a state disaster? Or interested in a copy of Sam Houston's inaugural address? Take a look at the library's Texas Governors Database. It includes biographical information and dates of service for all of Texas' chief executives, from J. Pinckney Henderson in 1846 up to current Governor Rick Perry. In addition, each governor's page provides links to full-text copies of their speeches, executive orders, proclamations, vetoes, and other official documents. The searchable database indexes documents by type, session, and bill and lets you search across multiple governors. The database is a work in progress and we're still tracking down documents for some governors, so check with the library if you don't see a document you are looking for.

This entry was posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:15 AM and has received 1540 views. Print this entry.

The Battle of San Jacinto occurred on April 21, 1836, concluding the Texas Revolution and setting the United States on a path to expansion in the Southwest. Focused on chasing the fledgling Texas government,  General Santa Anna had led his troops to an area by the San Jacinto River. The Texan army, under the command of Sam Houston, attacked, shouting "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!"  The 18-minute battle ended with a victory for the Texans and the capture of Santa Anna.

The victory has been celebrated by Texans ever since. A ball marked the first anniversary and the 14th Legislature passed Joint Resolution 7 on March 2, 1874, proclaiming April 21 a legal Texas holiday, along with March 2, Texas Independence Day.

The San Jacinto Battle Flag, pictured at right courtesy of the State Preservation Board, has hung in the Texas House chamber since 1933.  The flag is believed to have been the only Texas battle flag at San Jacinto, and it is thought to have been painted by artist James Henry Beard in late 1835 as a gift for the Newport Rifles, a 52-man company of Kentucky volunteers led by Captain Sidney Sherman. In the center is a female figure representing the Goddess of Liberty and the words, "Liberty or Death."

Photo courtesy of the State Preservation Board

This entry was posted on April 21, 2011 at 8:36 AM and has received 3830 views. Print this entry.