O'Brien, George Washington, 1833-1909

Born near Abbeville, Louisiana in 1833, George W. O’Brien (1833-1909) moved with his father to Beaumont, Texas, in 1839. At the age of 21, O’Brien won election as county and district clerk and married Sarah E. Rowley with whom he had five children. O’Brien was one of the few voters to reject the Secession Ordinance in Jefferson County; however, he still enlisted in the Confederate 5th Texas Infantry. O’Brien contracted measles shortly after enlisting and was discharged at the end of 1861. After recovering at home, he joined Colonel A. W. Speight’s 11th Texas Battalion of Volunteers. The most notable action O’Brien saw was during the Louisiana Campaign between June and November 1863. After the campaign ended his company were garrisoned at Sabine Pass and Fort Griffin until the end of the war.

O’Brien, who qualified for the bar just before the start of the Civil War opened a law practice and worked other jobs to make ends meet. He was vehemently opposed to Radical Republicans during Reconstruction, and eventually published the Neches Valley News, which became the Beaumont News-Beacon. In 1872, O’Brien served as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention. O’Brien finished his career with his law firm, O’Brien, John, and O’Brien.

Source:

Block, W. T. "Capt. George W. O'Brien: A Torchbearer of Our Texas Civilization." Beaumont Enterpise, November 9, 1980, p. 11-C. Accessed July 26, 2011.

Born near Abbeville, Louisiana in 1833, George W. O'Brien (1833-1909) moved with his father to Beaumont, Texas, in 1839.

At the age of 21, O'Brien won election as county and district clerk and married Sarah E. Rowley with whom he had five children. O'Brien was one of the few voters to reject the Secession Ordinance in Jefferson County; however, he still enlisted in the Confederate 5th Texas Infantry. O'Brien contracted measles shortly after enlisting and was discharged at the end of 1861. After recovering at home, he joined Colonel A. W. Speight's 11th Texas Battalion of Volunteers. The most notable action O'Brien saw was during the Louisiana Campaign between June and November 1863. After the campaign ended his company were garrisoned at Sabine Pass and Fort Griffin until the end of the war.

O'Brien, who qualified for the bar just before the start of the Civil War opened a law practice, and worked other jobs to make ends meet.

He was vehemently opposed to Radical Republicans during Reconstruction, and eventually published the Neches Valley News, which became the Beaumont News-Beacon. In 1872, O'Brien served as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention. O'Brien finished his career with his law firm, O'Brien, John, and O'Brien.