Lubbock, Francis Richard, 1815-1905

Francis Richard Lubbock (1815-1905) was an influential Texas businessman and politician, who held many public offices during his life, including a term as governor of Texas (161-1863). Born in South Carolina on October 16, 1815, Lubbock moved to Texas in 1836. Beginning in 1837, he ran a general store in Houston, before beginning ranching operations in the 1840s. Lubbock was a staunch Democrat and became active in politics in 1832 during the nullification crisis in South Carolina. In Texas, he continued his political activities, holding a string of public offices such as, Comptroller of the Republic of Texas, clerk of the Harris County court (1847-1851), and lieutenant governor (1857-1859). Lubbock was the Texas delegate to the national Democratic Convention in 1861, where the southern delegates walked out in protest of the platform and candidate, Stephen A. Douglas. Furthermore, Lubbock chaired the southern Democratic Convention, which nominated John C. Breckinridge for president. Winning by only 124 votes, Lubbock was elected governor of Texas in 1861. However, when his term expired in 1863 he entered the Confederate Army as a lieutenant colonel, serving under Major General John Bankhead Magruder, General Nathaniel P. Banks, Brigadier General Thomas Green, and Major General John A. Wharton. While working as aide-de-camp to Jefferson Davis, Lubbock was captured by Union forces and imprisoned for eight months in Fort Delaware. Following his parole, Lubbock was a tax collector in Houston, as well as the state treasurer of Texas (1878-1890). Lubbock died in Austin in 1905.

From the guide to the Francis Richard Lubbock Papers 72-1; 2009-263., 1829-1904, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

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