Anton N. Moursund
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Anton Norwald Moursund (March 26, 1877July 21, 1965) served as a member of the
Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...
, was Associate Justice in the Texas Fourth Court of Civil Appeals, and the first Dean of St. Mary's University School of Law in
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
. His family included a number of prominent individuals. Among them were his brother, Walter Henrik Moursund (18841959), who was the Dean of
Baylor College of Medicine The Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a private medical school in Houston, Texas, United States. Originally as the Baylor University College of Medicine from 1903 to 1969, the college became independent with the current name and has been se ...
and oversaw the school's move from
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
to Houston. His nephew, Albert W. Moursund III (1919-2002), better known as “A.W.,” was an attorney and a county judge, served two terms in the Texas Legislature, and was a member of President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
’s inner circle.


Early life

Anton Norwald Moursund, born March 26, 1877, was the second of eight children born to Albert Wadel Hansen Moursund (18451927) and Henrikke Marion Mowinckle (18541942). A. W. H. Moursund (aka A. W. Moursund Sr.) immigrated from Norway to the U.S. in 1869. He located in
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
on the advice of his family physician, who believed the moderate climate would benefit his poor health. In 1874, he acquired his license to practice law, built a home in
Blanco, Texas Blanco (Spanish: "white", ) is a city in rural Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,682 at the 2020 census. Blanco is a cattle and ranching community. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, the ...
(36 miles west of Austin), and married. In 1883 the Moursund family, which by then included Anton and three other sons, relocated to nearby
Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg () is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frede ...
, where the elder Moursund set up a law practice in partnership with pioneer lawyer and judge A. O. Cooley. During the course of his career, in addition to practicing law, A. W. Moursund Sr. served as county judge, Texas legislator, district attorney, and district judge.


Family life

About 1900, Anton Moursund married Elizabeth Patton (18781965), daughter of Albert L. Patton and Emma Wahrmund Patton of Fredericksburg. During the course of their marriage, the couple had four sons. Travis Bruce Moursund (19011959) and Henry Walter Moursund (19021964) joined their father in his law practice. Roy Lee Moursund (19061909) died of polio, and Myles Patton Moursund (19111982) took up residence in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
.


Career

In the early 1900s, Anton N. Moursund joined his father's law firm as partner, practicing in Fredericksburg and
Mason, Texas Mason is a city in, and the county seat of, Mason County, Texas, United States. The city is an agricultural community on Comanche Creek southwest of Mason Mountain, on the Edwards Plateau and part of the Llano Uplift. Its population was 2,121 ...
. He was elected to the 27th Texas Legislature in 1901 as representative for Legislative District No. 98 (Blanco, Comal, Gillespie, and Hays Counties). He continued to practice law with his father until his appointment on February 1, 1912, to the bench of the Texas Fourth Court of Civil Appeals. In 1916, he was re-elected to that post for a six-year term, but resigned November 22, 1920, and set up a law practice in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. He was a member of the Texas State Board of Legal Examiners for 25 years, and its chairman for 12 years. In 1927, he was named the first Dean of San Antonio's St. Mary's University School of Law, a position he held until his retirement in 1938, when he was named Dean Emeritus.


Death

Anton Norwald Moursund died July 21, 1965, in San Antonio.Social Security Death Index and Texas Death Records online at RootsWeb.com (accessed December 14, 2005).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moursund, Anton N. 1877 births 1965 deaths People from Fredericksburg, Texas Texas state court judges Members of the Texas House of Representatives Politicians from San Antonio People from Blanco, Texas Deans of law schools in the United States 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature