James W. Throckmorton

Who was James W. Throckmorton?

James Webb Throckmorton was an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Texas from 1866 to 1867 during the early days of Reconstruction. He was a United States Congressman from Texas from 1875 to 1879 and again from 1883 to 1889.

Following the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, he joined the 1st Texas Volunteers as a private in February 1847. A few months later, he was assigned as an assistant surgeon to the Texas Rangers, until receiving a medical discharge in June of that year. During the Texas secession convention in 1861, he was one of only eight delegates to vote against secession from the United States. Despite this, he served in the Confederate Army as a captain of Company K, 6th Texas Cavalry Regiment until resigning for poor health in 1863.

Throckmorton won the gubernatorial election of June 25, 1866, at the same time the new constitution was approved, against Elisha M. Pease. During his term in the governor's office, Throckmorton's lenient attitude toward former Confederates and his attitude toward civil rights conflicted with the Reconstruction politics of the Radical Republicans in Congress. He angered the local military commander, Major General Charles Griffin, who persuaded his superior, Philip H. Sheridan, to remove Throckmorton from office and replace him with an appointed Republican and Unionist, Elisha M. Pease.