Temple Lea Houston
Temple Lea Houston | |
---|---|
John Hall Stephens | |
Personal details | |
Born | Austin, Travis County Texas, U.S. | August 12, 1860
Died | August 15, 1905 Woodward, Oklahoma, U.S. | (aged 45)
Resting place | Elmwood Cemetery in Woodward, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Laura Cross Houston |
Children | 7 |
Alma mater | Baylor University |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Temple Lea Houston (August 12, 1860 – August 15, 1905) was an American attorney and politician who served from 1885 to 1889 in the
Biography
Temple Lea Houston was the only one of the Houstons' eight children to be born in the Texas governor's residence in
Houston returned to Texas in 1877 at the age of 17 to attend the Agricultural and Mechanical College (now
In 1882, Houston was appointed as the
Houston carried a Colt revolver, which he named "Old Betsy", always strapped to his waist. Some called him "the best shot in the West." He wore buckskin attire from Mexico and a sombrero with a wide brim and a silver eagle. Like his father, he was more than six feet tall. He had gray eyes; his auburn hair was usually shoulder-length. His knowledge of the Bible and classical literature was all-encompassing. He easily commanded the attention of any audience.[5]
Marriage and family
Established in his career, on February 14, 1883, 23-year-old Houston married Laura Cross, the daughter of a
Political career
Houston was elected in 1884 to a single term in the
He concentrated his law practice on the Santa Fe railroad (the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway).[4] He spoke French and Spanish, as well as seven Indian languages. In 1888, he gave the dedication address for the opening of the Texas State Capitol, which is still in use after several renovations.[6]
Houston participated in the Oklahoma Territory's Land Run of 1893. In 1894, Houston moved his family to the cattle town of Woodward in Oklahoma Territory. He was legal counsel of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; its Woodward depot became one of the most important points in the territory for cattle shipping to the East. Houston became widely known and popular for his courtroom dramatics. He was charged with murder in the shooting of a brother of the outlaw Al Jennings, after an argument in the Cabinet Saloon, and was acquitted.
Houston won a reputation as a brilliant trial lawyer. In 1899, he delivered his "Soiled Dove Plea" in a makeshift courtroom in Woodward's opera house. The argument on behalf of Minnie Stacey, a prostitute who worked at the Dew Drop Inn, became famous for winning her acquittal after ten minutes' consideration by the jury.[4]
Houston had agreed to be a candidate in Oklahoma's first gubernatorial election, but died two years before statehood.[7]
Death
Houston died of a cerebral hemorrhage on August 15, 1905, in Woodward, then still Oklahoma Territory. His wife Laura lived until April 17, 1938. They are buried together at Elmwood Cemetery in Woodward.
Representation in other media
- Edna Ferber modeled her main character of Yancey Cravat on Temple Houston in her novel Cimarron (1929). (The novel was adapted as film versions under the same name, produced in 1931 and 1960.)
- Ross Elliott played Houston in "The Reluctant Gun" (1959) episode of the Western anthology series, Death Valley Days.[8]
- In the 1960 film Oklahoma Territory, Houston was played by Bill Williams. Gloria Talbott was cast as Ruth Red Hawk, Ted de Corsia as Chief Buffalo Horn, X Brands as Running Cloud, and Walter Sande as Marshal Pete Rosslyn. The film was written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn.
- A 1963–1964 produced by actor Jeffrey Hunter, who also played the part of Houston. Temple Houston was placed on the schedule in a matter of six weeks after it was sold by studio boss Jack Webb to the network.[9]
Houston family tree
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Notes
References
Bibliography
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Notes
- ^ David G. Burnet was the first president of the Republic of Texas, serving on an interim basis March 18 – October 22, 1836, while Sam Houston led the army against the Mexican forces.[2] After Houston's capture of Santa Anna, elections were held in the Republic and he became the first elected president of the Republic and later the third president. After Texas was annexed by the United States, Sam Houston became a United States senator from Texas, and was later elected as the state's seventh governor.[3]
References
- ^ (based in Mobeetie in Wheeler County)
- ^ "A Guide to the David Gouverneur Burnet Papers, 1798–1965". Briscoe Center for American History. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ Kreneck, Thomas H. "Sam Houston". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Anderson, H. Allen. "Temple Lea Houston". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ Chuck Lanehart (January 5, 2019). "Caprock Chronicles: Temple Houston, Prairie dog lawyer of Texas". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ Texas Capitol Building Dedication Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Texas Bob website
- ^ Doughty, Beth Anne. "Houston, Temple Lea". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. www.okhistory.org. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ ""The Reluctant Gun", Death Valley Days, December 26, 1959". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ "Temple Houston: The Story Behind a Forgotten Television Western", Wildest Westerns website
Further reading
- Grace Hunter Adams, Jack Love: Eighty Niner, Traditional, 1988.
- James D. Hamlin, The Flamboyant Judge: As Told to J. Evetts Haley and William Curry Holden' (Canyon, Texas: Palo Duro, 1972).
- Sallie B. Harris, Cowmen and Ladies: A History of Hemphill County (Canyon, Texas: Staked Plains, 1977).
- Louise B. James, Below Devil's Gap: The Story of Woodward County, Perkins, Okla.: Evans Publications, 1984
- Seale, William (1992) [1970]. Sam Houston's Wife: A Biography of Margaret Lea Houston. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-2436-0.
- Glenn Shirley, Temple Houston: Lawyer with a Gun (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980).
- Bernice Tune, Golden Heritage and Silver Tongue of Temple Lea Houston (Burnet, Texas: Eakin Press, 1981).
External links
- Houston Family Papers, 1836–1969 and undated, in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University
- Beth Ann Doughty, "Houston, Temple", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
- Temple Lea Houston at Find a Grave