Stephen W. Perkins

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For the American musician and songwriter (born 1967), see Stephen Perkins.

Stephen W. Perkins (1809—after 1869) was a politician in the Republic of Texas and early statehood Texas who, in 1846-47, served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives during the First Texas Legislature.

A native of Kentucky, Perkins moved to Brazoria County, Texas in 1840, where he founded a plantation at Bailey's Prairie, Texas. In 1844 he was elected to the Texas House in the Ninth Congress of the Republic of Texas. Perkins was on the committee charged to write an “Address to the People of Texas” in regard to annexation.

After the annexation of Texas, Perkins was elected to the House of Representatives of the First Texas Legislature, and to the Senate of the Second Legislature. During his time in the House, Perkins was elected Speaker after the resignation of William H. Bourland.[1]

After fulfilling his legislative duties, Perkins served as chief justice of Brazoria County from 1850 until 1862. In that year, at the age of 53, with the Civil War at full momentum, he reported as a private in the Brazoria Volunteers of the Rio Grande Regiment, a home guard company. In 1866 he was re-elected to his former judicial post in Brazoria County, but the regional Union commander, Major General Joseph J. Reynolds removed him from office on April 25, 1869 as "an impediment to Reconstruction".

Stephen W. Perkins had married in 1850, but his wife, Anne E., died before 1860. No specific documentation has been produced to indicate his activity after 1869, including the year of his death.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ (1846) Journals of the House of Representatives of the First Legislature of the State of Texas (pdf), Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives, Clarksville, Texas: Standard Printing Office, 709. Retrieved on 2007-01-14. 

[edit] References

Preceded by
William H. Bourland		 Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
before 13 May 1846–1847		 Succeeded by
Charles G. Keenan
Preceded by
John Greenville McNeill		 Texas State Senator
from District 12 (Bailey's Prairie)
1849–1851		 Succeeded by
Isaac W. Brashear
v • d • e
Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives
Crump • Brown • Branch • Crump • Bourland • Perkins • Henderson • Keenan • Dickson • Runnels • Bee • W. Taylor • Locke • M. Taylor • Buckley • Darnell • Buckley • M. Taylor • Burford • Evans • Sinclair • M. Taylor • Bryan • Bonner • Cochran • Reeves • Gibson • Foster • Pendleton • Alexander • Milner • Cochran • Smith • Dashiell • Sherrill • Prince • Neff • Seabury • Love • Kennedy • Marshall • Rayburn • Terrell • Woods • Fuller • Thomason • Thomas • Seagler • Satterwhite • Bobbitt • Barron • Minor • Stevenson • Calvert • Morse • Leonard • Daniel • Gilmer • Reed • Manford • Senterfitt • Lindsey • Carr • Turman • Tunnell • Barnes • Mutscher • Slider • Price • Daniel, Jr. • Clayton • Lewis • Laney • Craddick