S.W.T. Lanham
Encyclopedia
Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham (July 4, 1846 July 29, 1908), was the 23rd Governor of Texas from January 20, 1903 to January 15, 1907. He was a member of the Democratic Party
. Prior to winning election as Governor, he served two periods in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served five terms from the 11th District (which covered a vast area of West Texas) then ran for governor, losing in his first attempt. When he returned to Congress, it was in the Eighth District, where he served 4 terms.
to James Madison and Louisa de Aubrey (Tucker) Lanham in Spartanburg District (now County), South Carolina, and named for his maternal grandfather, Samuel Willis Tucker. When the Civil War
began, Lanham volunteered for the Confederate States Army
, despite the fact that he was only fifteen years old. He fought primarily in Virginia
, was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
, and after hostilities ended he married. He and his wife settled in Weatherford, Texas
, where he worked and studied law.
Shortly after he was admitted to the bar in 1869, Lanham was appointed district attorney. His most famous case was the prosecution of Satanta
and Big Tree, Kiowa
chiefs who had led the Warren Wagon Train Raid
in 1871.
In 1892, Lanham was elected to Congress for the 11th district, where he served for a decade. He ran for the governorship in 1894, losing in the primary to Charles A. Culberson, but then returned to Congress for six more years, representing the 8th district. His administration saw the founding of Southwest Texas State Normal School (now Texas State University).
in 1902, taking office in January 1903. He was the last Confederate veteran to serve as governor of Texas. During his administration, many safety regulations were passed. In his first year in office, the Texas legislature
passed laws limiting the number of hours a railroad employee could work and regulated child labor.
The Texas Constitution
prohibited a state banking system, and in 1904 voters approved a constitutional amendment to revoke that clause. The following year the legislature passed a bill creating the state insurance and banking commission, and Lanham appointed Thomas B. Love as its first director. Over the next five years, over 500 banks were created.
Lanham took the lead in tax reform in 1905. Under the existing Texas system, the bulk of the state's income came from a general property tax. This did not provide the amount of revenue the state wanted to spend, and, at Lanham's request, the legislature began taxing the gross receipts of express companies and pipelines. The legislature also raised taxes on intangible assets of the railroads and other industries.
The legislature also took efforts to reform election laws during Lanham's term. Before he took office, there was not a set procedure for nominating candidates for public office. This led to a great deal of fraud and many shenanigans meant to keep people from voting. The legislature passed two election reform laws during Lanham's administration, both named after their author, Judge Alexander W. Terrell. The first law, passed in 1903, allowed political parties to nominate candidates by either a convention or a primary election. The second law, in 1905, established voter qualifications, required candidates to file itemized expense statement, required primary elections for major parties (at this time, only the Democratic party was considered a major party in Texas), and set a uniform date for primaries.
Near the end of his second term, a large political scandal erupted, Before he took office, the state had filed a lawsuit against Standard Oil Company and their Texas subsidiary, the Waters-Pierce Oil Company. Waters-Pierce's license to operate was revoked, an action upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1900. Partially at the urging of U.S. Senator Joseph Weldon Bailey
, Waters-Pierce received a new license to operate under Governor Joseph D. Sayers
. Although they claimed to have severed all ties with Standard Oil, Texas filed suit again in 1905 on the discovery that Standard Oil still owned most of the stock in the other company. In the trial, Bailey's influence was revealed, as well as the fact that Bailey had been on the Waters-Pierce payroll at the time. Although Lanham and his administration was not accused of any wrongdoing, the controversy over Bailey's ethics was extremely large.
Lanham did not enjoy his time as governor, often wishing that he had remained in Congress. He said that "'office seekers, pardon seekers, and concession seekers overwhelmed me. They broke my health'".
After leaving office, Lanham retired to Weatherford, where he died on July 29, 1908.
Lanham's son Fritz Garland Lanham was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving 14 terms from 1919-1947. Grandson Edwin Lanham
was a successful novelist.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Prior to winning election as Governor, he served two periods in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served five terms from the 11th District (which covered a vast area of West Texas) then ran for governor, losing in his first attempt. When he returned to Congress, it was in the Eighth District, where he served 4 terms.
Early years
Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham was born July, 1846 in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
to James Madison and Louisa de Aubrey (Tucker) Lanham in Spartanburg District (now County), South Carolina, and named for his maternal grandfather, Samuel Willis Tucker. When the 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...
began, Lanham volunteered for the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
, despite the fact that he was only fifteen years old. He fought primarily in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, and after hostilities ended he married. He and his wife settled in Weatherford, Texas
Weatherford, Texas
Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.-Geography:...
, where he worked and studied law.
Shortly after he was admitted to the bar in 1869, Lanham was appointed district attorney. His most famous case was the prosecution of Satanta
Satanta (White Bear)
This article refers to the Kiowa chief Satanta. For the Irish hero Sétanta, please see Cú Chulainn.Satanta was a Kiowa war chief. He was a member of the Kiowa tribe, he was born around 1820, during the height of the power of the Plains Tribes, probably along the Canadian River in the traditional...
and Big Tree, Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
chiefs who had led the Warren Wagon Train Raid
Warren Wagon Train Raid
The Warren Wagon Train Raid, also known as the Salt Creek Massacre, occurred on May 18, 1871. Henry Warren was contracted to haul supplies to forts in the west of Texas, including Fort Richardson, Fort Griffin, and Fort Concho. Traveling down the Jacksboro-Belknap road heading towards Salt Creek...
in 1871.
In 1892, Lanham was elected to Congress for the 11th district, where he served for a decade. He ran for the governorship in 1894, losing in the primary to Charles A. Culberson, but then returned to Congress for six more years, representing the 8th district. His administration saw the founding of Southwest Texas State Normal School (now Texas State University).
Governor
Lanham was elected Governor of TexasGovernor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
in 1902, taking office in January 1903. He was the last Confederate veteran to serve as governor of Texas. During his administration, many safety regulations were passed. In his first year in office, the Texas legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
passed laws limiting the number of hours a railroad employee could work and regulated child labor.
The Texas Constitution
Texas Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Texas.Texas has had seven constitutions: the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas, the state constitutions of 1845,...
prohibited a state banking system, and in 1904 voters approved a constitutional amendment to revoke that clause. The following year the legislature passed a bill creating the state insurance and banking commission, and Lanham appointed Thomas B. Love as its first director. Over the next five years, over 500 banks were created.
Lanham took the lead in tax reform in 1905. Under the existing Texas system, the bulk of the state's income came from a general property tax. This did not provide the amount of revenue the state wanted to spend, and, at Lanham's request, the legislature began taxing the gross receipts of express companies and pipelines. The legislature also raised taxes on intangible assets of the railroads and other industries.
The legislature also took efforts to reform election laws during Lanham's term. Before he took office, there was not a set procedure for nominating candidates for public office. This led to a great deal of fraud and many shenanigans meant to keep people from voting. The legislature passed two election reform laws during Lanham's administration, both named after their author, Judge Alexander W. Terrell. The first law, passed in 1903, allowed political parties to nominate candidates by either a convention or a primary election. The second law, in 1905, established voter qualifications, required candidates to file itemized expense statement, required primary elections for major parties (at this time, only the Democratic party was considered a major party in Texas), and set a uniform date for primaries.
Near the end of his second term, a large political scandal erupted, Before he took office, the state had filed a lawsuit against Standard Oil Company and their Texas subsidiary, the Waters-Pierce Oil Company. Waters-Pierce's license to operate was revoked, an action upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1900. Partially at the urging of U.S. Senator Joseph Weldon Bailey
Joseph Weldon Bailey
Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr. was a United States Senator, United States Representative, lawyer, and a Populist political figure. He served as a Congressional Representative between 1891 and 1901, and as the House minority leader from 1897 until 1899...
, Waters-Pierce received a new license to operate under Governor Joseph D. Sayers
Joseph D. Sayers
Joseph Draper Sayers was the 22nd Governor of Texas from 1899 to 1903. During Sayers's term, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 demolished that city.- Early years :...
. Although they claimed to have severed all ties with Standard Oil, Texas filed suit again in 1905 on the discovery that Standard Oil still owned most of the stock in the other company. In the trial, Bailey's influence was revealed, as well as the fact that Bailey had been on the Waters-Pierce payroll at the time. Although Lanham and his administration was not accused of any wrongdoing, the controversy over Bailey's ethics was extremely large.
Lanham did not enjoy his time as governor, often wishing that he had remained in Congress. He said that "'office seekers, pardon seekers, and concession seekers overwhelmed me. They broke my health'".
After leaving office, Lanham retired to Weatherford, where he died on July 29, 1908.
Other
Samuel W.T. Lanham was a Freemason. His masonic membership was of Phoenix Lodge #275 of the Grand Lodge of Texas in Weatherford, Texas.Lanham's son Fritz Garland Lanham was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving 14 terms from 1919-1947. Grandson Edwin Lanham
Edwin Lanham
Edwin Moultrie Lanham was born in Weatherford, Texas on October 11, 1904, in the north central part of Texas where his family settled in the 1868. His family included his grandfather S. W. T. Lanham, the former Governor of Texas...
was a successful novelist.