Overview
Texas State Archives
Texas. Governor (1867-1869 :
Pease)
Records of the third
term
1865-1869
Types of records are
correspondence, including letters, petitions, telegrams, reports, lists, and
letterpress books, dating from September 1865 to September 1869, from Elisha M.
Pease's third term as governor of Texas. A large portion of the correspondence
consists of letters, telegrams, and reports sent to military officials in
Texas, particularly Generals Griffin and Reynolds, which were then forwarded to
the governor's office.
1.88 cubic
ft. English.
Restrictions on Access
None.
Restrictions on Use
The letterpress volumes are extremely fragile and may not be
photocopied.
Technical Requirements
None.
Biographical Sketch
Elisha M. Pease served his third term as governor of Texas from August
8, 1867 to September 30, 1869. For biographical information through his first
two terms in office, see the finding aid for his earlier terms. As a Unionist,
Pease spent 1858 through 1866 in semi-retirement from public life, refraining
even from practicing law during the Civil War. After attending the Convention
of Southern Loyalists at Philadelphia, Pease ran for governor in 1866 as the
candidate of the Union Party, but lost to James Throckmorton. When General
Philip Sheridan removed Throckmorton, he appointed Pease as provisional
governor. Sheridan's successor, General Winfield Scott Hancock did not provide
the full military support Pease needed (since he ruled by order of Congress and
the Army and against the will of the people) to impose a provisional government
on Texas, with the result that civilian control waned. Pease urged the
Constitutional Convention of 1868-1869 to accept radical reconstruction so that
Texas could normalize relations with the Union as soon as possible. Pease
supported A.J. Hamilton in the gubernatorial race of 1869, but when General
J.J. Reynolds interfered to secure the election of E.J. Davis, Pease resigned
on September 30. In 1870, Pease joined A.J. Hamilton and James Throckmorton in
protesting the conduct of the Davis administration; in 1871 he helped lead a
taxpayers' revolt; and in 1872 he helped gain amnesty for disenfranchised
Democrats. Pease accepted a post as collector of the Port of Galveston in 1879.
He died in Lampasas on August 26, 1883.
Scope and Contents of the Records
Types of records are correspondence, including letters, petitions,
telegrams, reports, lists, and letterpress books, dating from September 1865 to
September 1869, from Elisha M. Pease's third term as governor of Texas. A large
portion of the correspondence consists of letters, telegrams, and reports sent
to military officials in Texas, particularly Generals Griffin and Reynolds,
which were then forwarded to the governor's office. Some of the general topics
include recommendations and applications for appointments to office, requests
for removals of non-Union officials, lists of loyal men qualified for office,
violence, Indian depredations, illegal activities, and letters relating to the
Constitutional Convention of 1868-1869. The majority of the loose records
consists of incoming letters, with approximately twenty letters sent by Pease.
Copies of outgoing letters exist in the two letterpress books.
Arrangement of the Records
Arrangement is chronological; letters having no specific day date have
been placed at the end of the month. Undated letters are located at the end of
the correspondence. Military communications were originally filed by the date
written and not the date on which they were referred to Governor Pease. That
order has been maintained. Some proclamations are filed after the
correspondence files; letterpress books follow the proclamations.
Index Terms
The terms listed here were used to catalog the
records. The terms can be used to find similar or related records.
Personal Names:
Pease, Elisha Marshall,
1812-1883.
Corporate Names:
Texas. Office of
the Governor.
Texas.
Constitutional Convention (1868-1869)
Subjects:
Governors--Texas.
Indians of North
America--Texas--Wars.
Reconstruction--Texas.
Places:
Texas--Politics and
government--1865-1950.
Texas--Officials and
employees--Selection and appointment.
Document Types:
Correspondence--Texas--Governors--1865-1869.
Petitions--Texas--Governors--1865-1869.
Telegrams--Texas--Governors--1865-1869.
Reports--Texas--Governors--1865-1869.
Lists--Texas--Governors--1865-1869.
Letterpress
copybooks--Texas--Governors--1865-1869.
Related Material
The following materials are offered as possible
sources of further information on the agencies and subjects covered by the
records. The listing is not exhaustive.
Texas State Archives
There are several holdings indexed under
Elisha Marshall Pease in the Manuscripts Card File in the Archives search
room.
Texas Secretary of State, Executive record books,
1835-1917, 14 reels of microfilm.
Texas Office of the Governor, Records of the
first two terms of Elisha Marshall Pease, 1853-1857, 1.88 cubic ft.
Preferred Citation
(Identify the item), Records of the third term, Texas Governor Elisha
Marshall Pease. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library
and Archives Commission.
Processing Information
June 1984
Tonia J. Wood, November 1995
Accession Information
Most of these records have no accession information.
Detailed Description of the Records
Records of the third term,
1865-1869,
1.88 cubic ft.
301-56
1.
September 1865,
October-December 1866
301-56
2.
April 1867
301-56
3.
May 17, 1867
301-56
4.
July 1867
301-56
5.
August 1-10,
1867
301-56
6.
August 11-15,
1867
301-56
7.
August 16-20,
1867
301-56
8.
August 21-25,
1867
301-56
9.
August 26-31,
1867
301-56
10.
September 1-5,
1867
301-56
11.
September 6-10,
1867
301-56
12.
September 11-15,
1867
301-56
13.
September 16-20,
1867
301-56
14.
September 21-25,
1867
301-56
15.
September 26-30,
1867
301-56
16.
October 1-5,
1867
301-56
17.
October 6-10,
1867
301-56
18.
October 11-20,
1867
301-56
19.
October 21-25,
1867
301-56
20.
October 26-31,
1867
301-56
21.
November 1-10,
1867
301-56
22.
November 11-20,
1867
301-57
23.
November 21-25,
1867
301-57
24.
November 26-30,
1867
301-57
25.
December 1-10,
1867
301-57
26.
December 11-15,
1867
301-57
27.
December 16-25,
1867
301-57
28.
December 26-31,
1867
301-57
29.
January 1-15,
1868
301-57
30.
January 16-31,
1868
301-57
31.
February 1868
301-57
32.
March 1-20,
1868
301-57
33.
March 21-31,
1868
301-57
34.
April 1-15,
1868
301-57
35.
April 16-20,
1868
301-57
36.
April 21-30,
1868
301-57
37.
May 1-15, 1868
301-57
38.
May 16-31,
1868
301-57
39.
June 1-15,
1868
301-58
40.
June 16-31,
1868
301-58
41.
July 1-15,
1868
301-58
42.
July 16-31,
1868
301-58
43.
August 1-15,
1868
301-58
44.
August 16-31,
1868
301-58
45.
September 1-5,
1868
301-58
46.
September 6-15,
1868
301-58
47.
September 16-30,
1868
301-58
48.
October 1-15,
1868
301-58
49.
October 16-31,
1868
301-58
50.
November 1-15,
1868
301-58
51.
November 16-30,
1868
301-58
52.
December 1-15,
1868
301-58
53.
December 16-31,
1868
301-58
54.
January 1-20,
1869
301-58
55.
January 21-31,
1869
301-58
56.
February 1-15,
1869
301-59
57.
February 16-28,
1869
301-59
58.
March 1-15,
1869
301-59
59.
March 16-31,
1869
301-59
60.
April 1-15,
1869
301-59
61.
April 16-30,
1869
301-59
62.
May 1-15, 1869
301-59
63.
May 16-31,
1869
301-59
64.
June 1869
301-59
65.
July 1869
301-59
66.
August 1869
301-59
67.
September 1869
301-59
68.
Undated
301-59
69.
Undated
301-59
70.
Thanksgiving proclamations,
October-November
1868
Letterpress books:
301-59
June-November
1868
301-59
November 1868-September
1869