The Tokyo Trial"" - page 1

TEXAS BAR JOURNAL 135 session of the Court was held in Galveston. S. C. Griffin's History of Galveston, Texas, published in 1931, contains the informa¬ tion that the newly established Federal District Court of Texas held its first ses¬ sion in a two story wooden building on the northwest corner of 21st street and Avenue E; then moved to a building on the northwest corner of 21st street and Winnie Avenue, owned by Thcmas W. League, adding that these quarters were used until completion of the Federal Build¬ ing at 2Gth and Post Office streets. Lawyers in the First State Legislature Many of the most stirring pages of Tex¬ as history could be properly built up around biographical studies of lawyers who participated in the activities, govern¬ mental and otherwise, through which the transition of the Republic to the status of statehood was effectuated. The limits of this article must exclude such extended consideration; nevertheless, the time will come when some astute historian, recog¬ nizing the tremendous contribution such amplification would make to the historical literature of America, will delve deeply into the records and present to the public the result of his research with all the dra¬ ma and fascination inevitable in literature that lives and moves and breathes with human action. The present purpose re¬ stricts consideration to a bare statement of a few facts. The limited research possible at this time does not reveal all names or even the number of lawyers in Texas at the time of annexation. The earliest classifi¬ cation discovered thus far is the Popula¬ tion Schedule at page 614 of the 7th United States Census (for the year 1850) which classifies by occupations a total Tex¬ as male population of 42,856. This sched¬ ule shows there were 428 lawyers in Texas when the census was taken, which was approximately four years after Texas be¬ came a state. A Texas census taken in 1847 does not reveal an occupational clas¬ sification. It is known, however, that the first Legislature of the State was indica¬ tive in large measure of the occupational pursuits of the people of Texas. In the Legislature, farmers predominated in number; lawyers were next; and mer¬ chants, doctors, mechanics, suveyors, and soldiers also were listed in the member¬ ship role. An occupational and political classifica- R. M. Williamson Attorney "Three-Legged Willie” was a member of the first Senate in Texas. tion of the members of each House of the First Legislature may be found in an old newspaper (The Texas Democrat, of Wednesday, May 20, 1846) on file in the State Archives at Austin. It shows that in the Senate there were five farmers, four lawyers and three merchants, with nine members not classified as to occupation. In the lower House there were thirty-two farmers, twelve lawyers, five merchants, four mechanics, four physicians, four sur¬ veyors, three soldiers and one planter. In the Senate there were eleven Demo¬ crats, one Loco Foco,1 two Tyler men, one Whig, one Polk man, one Anti-tariff and four not classified as to politics. In the lower House there were forty- four Democrats, one Tariff man, four Re¬ publicans, one Texan, one Nullifier, one Loco Foco, three Whig and ten not classi¬ fied as to politics. Names of lawyers in the first State Sen¬ ate were as follows : В. C. Bagby, age 36, Red River County, came to Texas from Virginia in 1839. H. J. Jewett, 30. Robert¬ son County, came to Texas from Maine in 1839. A. H. Phillips, age not shown, Vic¬ toria County, came from New York in 1832, and R. M. Williamson. 41. the fa¬ mous "Three-Legged Willie” of Washing¬ ton County, came from Georgia in 1836. (Mr. Williamson was a lawyer of rare ability and courage and was regarded with deep affection throughout Texas. He was (Continued on Page 159)