1st Congress of the Republic of Texas

1st Congress of the Republic of Texas
2nd Congress of the Republic of Texas	→
	The building that housed the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas in Columbia (shown c. 1897)
Overview
Legislative body	Congress of the Republic of Texas
Jurisdiction	Republic of Texas
Meeting place	Columbia and Houston
Term	October 3, 1836 – June 13, 1837
House of Representatives
Members	31 Representatives
House Speaker	Ira Ingram (1st session)[1]; Branch T. Archer (2nd session)
Senate
Members	14 Senators
Senate President	Mirabeau Lamar
Senate President pro tem.	Richard Ellis (1st session)[2]; Jesse Grimes (2nd session)[3]
Sessions
1st	October 3, 1836 – December 22, 1836
2nd	May 1, 1837 – June 13, 1837

The First Congress of the Republic of Texas, consisting of the Senate of the Republic of Texas and House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, met in Columbia at two separate buildings (one for each chamber) and then in Houston from October 3, 1836, to June 13, 1837, during the first year of Sam Houston's presidency.

All members of Congress were officially non-partisan.[4] According to the Constitution of the Republic of Texas of 1836, each member of the House of Representatives was elected for a term of one year.[5] Each county was guaranteed at least one representative.[6]

Each Senator was elected for a three-year term to represent a district that each had a nearly equal portion of the nation's population. Each district could have no more than one Senator.

Members

Senate

José Francisco Ruiz – District of Bexar
James Collinsworth – District of Brazoria (1st session)
William Green Hill – District of Brazoria (2nd session)
Alexander Somervell – District of Colorado and Austin counties
Edwin Morehouse – District of Goliad, Refugio, and San Patricio
Robert Wilson –District of Harrisburg and Liberty
Stephen H. Everitt – District of Jasper and Jefferson
Albert Clinton Horton – District of Matagorda, Victoria, and Jackson
Sterling C. Robertson – District of Milam
James S. Lester – District of Mina and Gonzales
Robert Anderson Irion – District of Nacogdoches
Richard Ellis – District of Red River
Shelby Corzine – District of San Augustine (1st session)
Henry William Augustine – District of San Augustine (2nd session)
Willis H. Landrum – District of Shelby and Sabine
Jesse Grimes – District of Washington

House of Representatives

Austin County

Moseley Baker

Bexar County

Thomas Green

Brazoria County

Branch T. Archer, from October 4, 1836
John A. Wharton, from October 4, 1836

Colorado County

J. G. Robertson

Goliad County

John M. Chenoweth

Gonzales County

William S. Fisher

Harrisburg County

John W. Moore, until October 11, 1836[lower-alpha 1]
- Jesse H. Cartwright, from October 11, 1836

Jackson County

Samuel A. White

Jasper County

Col. Samuel S. Lewis

Jefferson County

Claiborne West

Liberty County

Edward Thomas Branch

Mina County

John Wheeler Bunton
Jesse Billingsley

Matagorda County

Ira Ingram, 1st session*
- Daniel Davis D. Baker, 2nd session

Milam County

Francis Marcus Weatherred, Jr., until October 31, 1836[lower-alpha 1]
- Samuel Tabor Allen, from October 31, 1836

Nacogdoches County

John Kirby Allen
Haden Edwards, 1st session[lower-alpha 1]
- Hayden S. Arnold, 2nd session

Refugio County

Elkanah Brush

Red River County

Mansell Walter Matthews
George Washington Wright
William Becknell, until October 13, 1836[lower-alpha 1]
- Collin McKinney, from October 13, 1836

Sabine County

John Boyd

San Augustine County

William W. Holman
Joseph Rowe

San Patricio County

John Turner, until October 20, 1836[lower-alpha 1]
- John Geraghty, from October 20, 1836

Shelby County

Richard Hooper
Sydney Oswald Penington

Victoria County

Richard Roman

Washington County

William Warner Hill
W. W. Gant, from October 21, 1836

Resigned upon evidence presented that he was not duly elected

Standing committees

Senate

Ways and Means
Judiciary
Post Office and Post Roads
State of the Republic
Military Affairs
Roads, Bridges, and Ferries
Claims and Accounts
Public Lands
Indian Affairs
County Boundaries
Naval Affairs

House of Representatives

Ways and Means
Judiciary
Post Office
State of the Republic
Military Affairs
Roads, Bridges, and Ferries
Claims and Accounts
Public Lands
Indian and Indian Affairs
County Boundaries
Naval Affairs
Foreign Relations

Employees

Senate

Sergeant at Arms – William King (1st session),[7] Noah T. Byars (2nd session)[8]
Clerk – Richardson A. Scurry (1st session),[2] Arthur Robertson (2nd session)[3]
Doorkeeper – Joshua Canter (1st session),[7] Marshall Mann (2nd session)[1]

House of Representatives

Sergeant at Arms[1] – A. L. Harrison (1st session), George S. Stratton (2nd session)
Clerk[1] – Willis A. Farris (1st session), William Fairfax Gray (2nd session)
Doorkeeper[1] – W. T. Hendricks (1st session), Abner S. McDonald (2nd session), S. L. Johnson (2nd session)

References

Raines, C. W. (1901). Year Book for Texas. Austin, Texas: Gammel Book Company. pp. 59–60. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
"Officers of the Senate". Telegraph and Texas Register. 1 (45) (1 ed.). December 9, 1836. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
McDonald Spaw, Patsy (1990). The Texas Senate: Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861, Volume 1. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. p. 24. ISBN 0890964424.
Erath, Lucy A. (October 1923). Barker, Eugene C.; Bolton, Herbert E. (eds.). "Memoirs of George Bernard Erath IV". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. Texas State Historical Association. 27 (2): 140. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
May, Janice C. (1996). The Texas State Constitution: A Reference Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 4. ISBN 0313266379.
Steen, Ralph W. (June 12, 2010). "Congress of the Republic of Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
"Officers of the Senate". Telegraph and Texas Register. 1 (45) (1 ed.). December 9, 1836. p. 3. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
Laughlin, Charlotte (June 12, 2010). "Byars, Noah Turner". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

Senate Journal: 1st Congress Regular Session. G. & T. H. Borden, Public Printers. 1836.
Senate Journal: 1st Congress Second Session. Telegraph Power Press. 1838.
House Journal: 1st Congress Regular Session. Telegraph Power Press. 1838.
House Journal:1st Congress Second Session. Telegraph Power Press. 1838.

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[fn1-7] Resigned upon evidence presented that he was not duly elected

[Year_Book_for_Texas-1] Raines, C. W. (1901). Year Book for Texas. Austin, Texas: Gammel Book Company. pp. 59–60. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

[Officers_of_the_Senate_1-2] "Officers of the Senate". Telegraph and Texas Register. 1 (45) (1 ed.). December 9, 1836. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

[The_Texas_Senate-3] McDonald Spaw, Patsy (1990). The Texas Senate: Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861, Volume 1. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. p. 24. ISBN 0890964424.

[4] Erath, Lucy A. (October 1923). Barker, Eugene C.; Bolton, Herbert E. (eds.). "Memoirs of George Bernard Erath IV". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. Texas State Historical Association. 27 (2): 140. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

[5] May, Janice C. (1996). The Texas State Constitution: A Reference Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 4. ISBN 0313266379.

[6] Steen, Ralph W. (June 12, 2010). "Congress of the Republic of Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

[Officers_of_the_Senate_2-8] "Officers of the Senate". Telegraph and Texas Register. 1 (45) (1 ed.). December 9, 1836. p. 3. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

[9] Laughlin, Charlotte (June 12, 2010). "Byars, Noah Turner". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 21, 2015.