Stephen Heard Darden (November 19, 1816 – May 16, 1902) was a prominent Texas politician who served in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

and then as an officer in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Life

Mr. Darden is of English-Irish descent, and a native of Mississippi. His entrance into Texas was as a volunteer soldier from the State of Mississippi, under Captain David M. Fulton, in the year 1836. In 1841, he became permanently established as a citizen of Texas. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Darden received a commission as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in Company A of the 4th Texas Infantry in what became widely known as the Texas Brigade. He was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

before resigning to the join the Second Confederate Congress. Darden was elected to the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

in the 62nd district from November 7, 1853 to November 2, 1857 and was elected to the

in the 25th district from November 4, 1861 to January 14, 1862. He was elected to represent the First Congressional District of Texas in the

Second Confederate Congress The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia ...

from 1864 to 1865.The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Daniels-rush to Darley
at politicalgraveyard.com Darden was elected as a Democrat to be

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an executive branch position created by the Texas Constitution. The comptroller is popularly elected every four years, and is primarily tasked with collecting all state tax revenue and estimating the a ...

from 1874 to 1879.

Notes

External links

* 1816 births 1902 deaths Confederate States Army officers Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Texas Texas state senators Texas Brigade Texas lawyers Members of the Texas House of Representatives American people of English descent American people of Irish descent Military personnel from Mississippi 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub