David Robert Wingate
Encyclopedia
David Robert Wingate was an American lumber businessman and plantation farmer who served in the Confederate Army as the commissioner of defense for Jefferson County, Texas
, during the American Civil War
. Overcoming numerous financial setbacks throughout his lifetime, he remained a successful industrialist. He owned as many as a hundred slaves before the emancipation, but he is remembered by society as a humanitarian to these people and generous provider.
where logging and sawmill
s were prevalent. His education was unsophisticated, and he began to work in the lumber industry as a basic hand. At the age of 20, he married Caroline Morgan, a native of Mississippi
with whom he had seven children. In 1849, at the age of 30, he owned his first sawmill in Mississippi. After three years of business there (including the rebuilding of the mill from a fire), Wingate moved to Newton County, Texas
, in 1852, where he established a large cotton
plantation. Within seven years, he became the largest antebellum cotton planter in Southeast Texas
, with seventy to eighty slaves working the site.
. By 1859, he owned this sawmill, which he improved to be the largest steam sawmill facility in the state. He moved his family and thirteen of his slaves to this coastal town. In addition, he established a small fleet of lumber schooners for trade across the Gulf of Mexico
. In summer 1860, the Wingate Mill Industries steam boiler exploded
, killing several of his employees and disfiguring others. Wingate quickly rebuilt the equipment to continue to operate his mill and to resume providing employment for his people.
epidemic reached Sabine Pass, triggering Wingate to evacuate his family back to Newton County where they remained until the end of the war. Several months later on October 21, a Union Navy patrol invaded Sabine Pass, destroying his sawmill and residence there with fire. In 1864, Wingate was elected chief justice of Newton County, with the provisional civilian governor Andrew J. Hamilton
giving him the same appointment the following year.
as he was seeking opportunities once again in the lumber trade. In 1878, his new sawmill called the D. R. Wingate and Company began to operate, but just two years later, it was consumed by fire at a cost equal to that of his last loss. The city of Orange benefited from the presence of David R. Wingate, despite his unfortunate luck with fires. During the 1880s, he built larger facilities, with the demand for lumber always strong. Wingate also served as judge of Orange County from 1878 until 1884. After his wife’s death in 1890, he ventured into rice
farming which succeeded well and added a new commerce to the region. On February 15, 1899, Wingate died due to pneumonia and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Orange.
led to his slaves being set free in the 1860s. Those same people who were previously owned by D. R. Wingate were well taken care of by him, as part of his obituary reveals:
In 1979, the Texas Historical Commission
constructed a marker in recognition of David Robert Wingate’s achievements, Civil War activities, and his contributions to society.
Jefferson County, Texas
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. As of 2000, the population was 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont, and it is named for the former U.S...
, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Overcoming numerous financial setbacks throughout his lifetime, he remained a successful industrialist. He owned as many as a hundred slaves before the emancipation, but he is remembered by society as a humanitarian to these people and generous provider.
Biography
On February 20, 1819, he was born in Darlington County, South Carolina, to Robert Potter and Pherobee (Kelly) Wingate. At an early age, his family moved to the delta region of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
where logging and sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s were prevalent. His education was unsophisticated, and he began to work in the lumber industry as a basic hand. At the age of 20, he married Caroline Morgan, a native of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
with whom he had seven children. In 1849, at the age of 30, he owned his first sawmill in Mississippi. After three years of business there (including the rebuilding of the mill from a fire), Wingate moved to Newton County, Texas
Newton County, Texas
Newton County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. In of 2000, its population was 15,072. Its county seat is Newton. Newton county is named for John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War...
, in 1852, where he established a large cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
plantation. Within seven years, he became the largest antebellum cotton planter in Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The subregion is geographically centered around the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas...
, with seventy to eighty slaves working the site.
Venture back into the lumber business
Wingate saw the lacking timber market of the area as an opportunity, and this led to his discovery of the abandoned Spartan Mill at Sabine PassSabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass is a neighborhood of Port Arthur, Texas, United States. It lies on the west bank of Sabine Pass, near the Louisiana border.Originally known as Sabine City, the original date of settlement of Sabine Pass is unknown, but is estimated at 1836...
. By 1859, he owned this sawmill, which he improved to be the largest steam sawmill facility in the state. He moved his family and thirteen of his slaves to this coastal town. In addition, he established a small fleet of lumber schooners for trade across the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. In summer 1860, the Wingate Mill Industries steam boiler exploded
Steam explosion
A steam explosion is a violent boiling or flashing of water into steam, occurring when water is either superheated, rapidly heated by fine hot debris produced within it, or the interaction of molten metals A steam explosion (also called a littoral explosion, or fuel-coolant interaction, FCI) is a...
, killing several of his employees and disfiguring others. Wingate quickly rebuilt the equipment to continue to operate his mill and to resume providing employment for his people.
Participation in the American Civil War
In April 1861, Wingate and one of his sons enlisted in the Sabine Pass Guard. David was appointed as chairman of safety for Sabine Pass, as well as Confederate States marshal of the east Texas region. During this time, he began blockade running, but lost a steamer he owned in 1862 when it ran aground. He and his crew torched the craft and the cargo of 500 bales of cotton to avoid capture. At this time, Wingate is credited with supplying the logs needed to build Fort Sabine. In August 1862, the yellow feverYellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemic reached Sabine Pass, triggering Wingate to evacuate his family back to Newton County where they remained until the end of the war. Several months later on October 21, a Union Navy patrol invaded Sabine Pass, destroying his sawmill and residence there with fire. In 1864, Wingate was elected chief justice of Newton County, with the provisional civilian governor Andrew J. Hamilton
Andrew J. Hamilton
Andrew Jackson Hamilton was a United States politician during the third quarter of the 19th century. He was a lawyer, state representative, military governor of Texas, as well as the 11th Governor of Texas during Reconstruction.-Early life:Hamilton was born in Huntsville, Alabama on January 28, 1815...
giving him the same appointment the following year.
Financial losses and Wingate’s move to Orange
In 1873, Wingate suffered another substantial financial loss. His transporting craft along with the cargo of cotton being shipped to market, worth about $50,000 dollars in that day, sank in the Sabine River. That same year, Wingate and his wife moved to OrangeOrange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
as he was seeking opportunities once again in the lumber trade. In 1878, his new sawmill called the D. R. Wingate and Company began to operate, but just two years later, it was consumed by fire at a cost equal to that of his last loss. The city of Orange benefited from the presence of David R. Wingate, despite his unfortunate luck with fires. During the 1880s, he built larger facilities, with the demand for lumber always strong. Wingate also served as judge of Orange County from 1878 until 1884. After his wife’s death in 1890, he ventured into rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
farming which succeeded well and added a new commerce to the region. On February 15, 1899, Wingate died due to pneumonia and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Orange.
Wingate remembered by society
Nearing the end of the Civil War, the Emancipation ProclamationEmancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
led to his slaves being set free in the 1860s. Those same people who were previously owned by D. R. Wingate were well taken care of by him, as part of his obituary reveals:
In 1979, the Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
constructed a marker in recognition of David Robert Wingate’s achievements, Civil War activities, and his contributions to society.