Graham, Richard Niles, 1881-

Richard Niles Graham, born in 1881 to Carrie Augusta Pease Graham (1851-1882) and George Thomas Graham (1847-1897), was a Texas businessman and social figure who was instrumental in the development of numerous communities in Austin and throughout Texas. R. Niles Graham had two siblings, Marshall Pease Graham (1875-1910) after whom R. Niles would later name his eldest son, and Carrie Margaret Graham Crusemann (1882-1961), also known as Maggie. Following Carrie Pease's death in 1882, Graham and his siblings were raised in Austin by their maternal grandmother, Lucadia Christiana Niles Pease (1813-1905), and their maternal aunt, Julia Maria Pease (1853-1918).

The Pease family was a prominent and affluent family that possessed substantial land and mineral rights in counties throughout Texas including: Archer, Bosque, Brown, Dallam, Dimmit, Hamilton, Hemphill, Jackson, La Salle, Lee, Matagorda, Mills, Presidio, Sutton, Taylor, Travis, Waller, Webb, and Wharton. The original Pease estate is estimated to have been around 3,000 acres and belonged to Graham's maternal grandfather and former Governor of Texas, Elisha Marshall Pease (1812-1883). The family resided at the historic Woodlawn home, built by Abner Cook in 1853, in Austin, Texas. Governor E.M. Pease purchased Woodlawn, also known as the Pease Mansion, in July 1859. Upon his death in 1883, Governor Pease willed the estate to his widow Lucadia Pease. Lucadia would later leave the estate to her daughter, Julia Maria Pease.

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