Charles Allen Culberson

Who was Charles Allen Culberson?

Charles Allen Culberson was an American political figure and Democrat who served as the 21st Governor of Texas from 1895 – 1899, and as a United States Senator from Texas from 1899 – 1923.

Culberson was born to Eugenia and David Browning Culberson in Dadeville, Alabama, but in 1856 his family moved to Texas, settling first in Gilmer and later in Jefferson. He attended Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 1874, and subsequently studied law at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1876 and 1877. In 1877 he was admitted to the bar in Daingerfield, Texas, and commenced practice in Jefferson. He moved to Dallas in 1887.

Culberson's political career began with his election as Attorney General of Texas in 1890, a position he held until 1895, after campaigning for and winning the governor's race in November 1894. After two terms as governor, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat on January 25, 1899. Early during his tenure, he served on the Lodge Committee investigating war crimes in the Philippine-American War. Later, he chaired several senate committees, including the judiciary committee, which he chaired from 1913 – 1919.

Culberson was reelected in 1905, 1911, and, again, by popular vote in 1916, when health problems and alcoholism prevented him from campaigning in Texas but did not prevent his reelection. However, his health and opposition to the Ku Klux Klan finally led to the loss of his seat in the Democratic primar in 1922.He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Earle Bradford Mayfield, the outgoing member of the Texas Railroad Commission. Mayfield won a two-to-one general election victory over the Independent write-in candidate, George Peddy, a former state representative from Shelby County.