urn:taro:utexas.cah.03097 A Guide to the Richard Fenner Burges Papers, 1897-1940 Original EAD encoding by Evan Usler according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. October 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Burges, Richard Fenner, 1873-1945 Richard Fenner Burges Papers 1897-1940 Materials are written in English. 45-22 4 ft., 7 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin Correspondence, financial papers, printed materials, maps, and photographs comprise the Richard Burges Papers, 1897-1940, documenting Burges’ career as a lawyer, soldier, politician, and conservationist. Biographical Note

Lawyer, soldier, politician, and conservationist Richard Fenner Burges (1873-1945), the son of Bettie Rust and William H. Burges, was born in Seguin, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University for one year and was admitted to the bar in 1894 after reading law in the offices of his father in El Paso and J. D. Guinn in New Braunfels. In 1898, he married Ethel Petrie Shelton, with whom he had a daughter. Burges served as El Paso city attorney and wrote the charter for the establishment of commission city government in El Paso (1907). A year later, he represented Texas at President Theodore Roosevelt's conference of governors and served as a member of the Texas House in the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth legislatures (1913–15). In 1917, Burges commanded a battalion in the battle of the Argonne and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for distinguished service. Later, Burges was special counsel for the Texas-Rio Grande Compact Commission and from 1935 to 1940 was a special attorney for the United States Department of Justice.

A leader in water conservation in both Texas ad New Mexico, Burges was associate counsel in the Chamizal dispute with Mexico (1910-1911), president of the International Irrigation Congress (1915-1916), counsel for the El Paso County Water Improvement District, and attorney for Texas in negotiations with New Mexico over the division of Pecos River waters. Burges was also president of the Texas Forestry Association (1921-1923), belonged to the American Forestry Association, was a board member of the El Paso Public Library, the Texas State Historical Association, and the Texas History and Library Commission.

Source: “Burges, Richard Fenner.” Handbook of Texas Online. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Accessed October 10, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbu28.

 Scope and Contents

Correspondence, financial papers, printed materials, maps, and photographs comprise the Richard Burges Papers, 1897-1940, documenting Burges’ career as a lawyer, soldier, politician, and conservationist. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, the bulk of which was carried on with business and political acquaintances. Business correspondence shed light on Burges’ political and military activities, as Burges maintained contact with many former soldiers and helped in their readjustment to civilian life after the First World War, and reflects both business and legal transactions. Correspondence related to familial matters chronicle Burges’ relationship with aunts, cousins, and his daughter, Jane. Project correspondence contains information related to the Banco elimination project of the Rio Grande River and the Carlsbad Caverns highway project. Financial material concern stocks and campaign contributions. Maps and photographs provide information about military activities and water conservation.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged into 13 series:

I. Business and personal correspondence, 1897-1940, undated II. Project correspondence, 1923-1930, undated III. Family correspondence, 1901-1919, undated IV. Sam Houston letters, 1835-1837 V. Appointments and association memberships, 1913-1933, undated VI. El Paso, Texas materials, 1900-1930, undated VII. Financial materials, undated VIII. Legal papers, 1913-1920, undated IX. Literary productions, undated X. Political materials, 1906-1938, undated XI. Printed material, 1898-1939, undated XII. World War I material, 1917-1926, undated XIII. Maps, undated and unidentified

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Burges, Richard Fenner, 1873-1945 -- Archives. Bailey, Joseph Weldon, 1863-1929. Burges, William Henry, 1867- Dennis, William Cullen, 1878- Hudspeth, Claude Benton, 1877-1941. Mills, Anson, b. 1834. Nagle, James C., 1865- Rogan, Octavia F. Sheppard, Morris, 1875- Slayden, James L. (James Luther), 1853-1924. Smith, William Robert, 1863-1924. Taylor, T. U. (Thomas Ulvan), 1858-1941. West, Elizabeth Howard, 1873- Winkler, Ernest William, 1875- Wolters, Jacob F., 1871-1935. Subjects (Organizations) Democratic Party (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. El Paso Chamber of Commerce (Tex.) University of Texas at El Paso -- History. University of Texas at Austin -- History. Subjects Conservation of natural resources -- Texas. Forests and forestry. Irrigation -- Texas. Military training camps -- Texas -- Photographs. National parks and reserves -- United States. Reclamation of land -- Texas. Reservoirs -- Texas. Women -- Education. World War, 1914-1918. Legislators -- Texas -- History -- 20th century. Politics, Practical -- Texas -- History -- 20th century. Political campaigns -- Texas -- History -- 20th century. Places United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century. Texas -- Politics and government -- 20th century. El Paso (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. Rio Grande. Elephant Butte Reservoir (N.M.) Mexico -- Boundaries -- United States. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (N.M.) El Chamizal (Mexico and Tex.) Preferred Citation

Richard Fenner Burges Papers, 1897-1940, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Processed by Julia M. Payne, July 1982. Subsequent revisions made by Evan Usler, October 2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers Business and personal correspondence: 2B79 1897-1907, undated 2B80 1908-1911 2B81 1911-1913 2B82 1913-1915 2B83 1915-1916 2B84 1917-1919 2B85 1920-1922 2B86 1923-1928 2B87 1929-1940, undated Project correspondence: 2B88 Banco elimination project,1923-1930, undated 2B88 Carlesbad Caverns highway project, 1927 Family correspondence: 2B88 Undated 1901-1910 1911 1912 1913 1914-1916 1917 January-July 1918 August-December 1918 1919 Sam Houston letters (hand copied by Burges): November 22, 1835 December 2, 1837 Appointments and association memberships: 2B89 1913-1933, undated El Paso, Texas materials: 2B89 Historical notes,undated Printed material, 1900-1930, undated Financial material: 2B89 undated Legal papers: 2B89 1913-1920, undated Literary Productions: 2B89 undated Political materials: 2B89 Chamizal arbitration report, undated 2B89 Essays and letters to the editors, undated 2B89 Printed material, 1906-1938, undated Printed material: 2B89 1898-1939, undated World War I material: 2B89 Accounts of battles, 1926, undated 2B89 Casualty lists, November 5-December 16, 1918 2B89 Company “A”, 141st Infantry, menus and rosters, 1917-1919 2B89 Company “B”, 1st Texas Infantry, menus and rosters, 1917 2B89 Correspondence, 1917-1919, undated 2B89 Military records, 1917-1918, undated 2B89 Requisitions for supplies, 1917-1918, undated 2B89 Maps, undated and unidentified