Richard Coke scrapbook

Collection

Identifier: urn:taro:utexas.cah.02736

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Comprising correspondence and a scrapbook, the Richard Coke Scrapbook, 1864, 1884-1912, documents Coke's military, political, and legal careers. Correspondence consists of an 1864 request for military leave by Coke during his Civil War service and a letter written by James Stephen Hogg upon hearing of Coke's death. Newspaper clippings, business cards, and a typed sketch compose the scrapbook. The clippings chronicle Coke's political campaigns and elections; his stance on issues, such as prohibition; public speeches; and his death. Three business cards from Coke's legal practice as well as a description of his cemetery monument at its unveiling are also included.

Dates

Creation: 1864
Creation: 1884 - 1912

Creator

Coke, Richard, 1829-1897 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

There are no use restrictions on this collection. Publisher is responsible for complying with copyright law.

Biographical Note

Born to John and Eliza (Hankins) Coke near Williamsburg, Virginia, Richard Coke received a degree in civil law from William and Mary College in 1848. In 1850, he moved to Waco, Texas, where he practiced civil and criminal law and married Mary Evans Horne. In 1861, Coke voted for the state's secession as a delegate at the Austin convention on the issue. The following year, he raised a company that became part of the Fifteenth Texas Infantry, with which he served throughout the Civil War as a captain. Coke became judge of the 19th judicial district in 1865 and a justice on the Texas Supreme Court in 1866. Elected governor in 1873, Coke aided growth of public and vocational education in Texas and attempted to restore financial order by cutting public printing and asylums, but was thwarted by the escalated cost of frontier and border security. In 1877, Coke resigned to represent Texas in the U. S. Senate, supporting the Bland-Allison Act of 1878 and the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 before retiring to Waco in 1895.

Source:

"Payne, John W., Jr." Handbook of Texas Online Accessed May 12, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fco15.

Extent

1 inches

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Comprising correspondence and a scrapbook, the Richard Coke Scrapbook, 1864, 1884-1912, documents Coke's military, political, and legal careers.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.