William B. Teagarden (1854-1933) was a railroad lawyer. Born in Rusk, Texas, he was the fourth child of Oswin (1812-ca. 1887) and Hettie (Baker) Teagarden. He began working in law offices at the age of fourteen, and eventually gained admittance to the bar and began a general practice. In 1875, Teagarden started specializing in railroad law. He represented numerous railroad agencies, including the International and Great Northern Railroad. In 1905 he moved to San Antonio, where he practiced until his death. As a former member of the old Third Congressional District and friend of Gov. James Hogg, Teagarden had an avid involvement in the Democratic Party and was a researcher into Texas political history.
William Teagarden and Frances Walton (1859-1924) married on October 15, 1879. They had four children: Hellen, the wife of Elliott S. Sanders; Bruce Walton, a 1907 UT Law School graduate who practiced with his father; Lucile; and Mai Dai, the wife of James T. George.
Sources:
William B. Teagarden vertical file, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, the University of Texas at Austin.
Correspondence, essays, scrapbook, mementos, broadsides, and clippings comprise the William B. Teagarden Papers, 1888-1942. The collection relates to Teagarden’s efforts as a member of the Democratic Party to promote its popularity and stability by writing and publishing letters against Populism, Prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan, and William Jennings Bryan. Also included are clippings collected as source material for a book and on family histories.
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William B. Teagarden Papers, 1888-1942, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.