Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855 – March 19, 1925) was an American
political figure
A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...
and
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
United States senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from
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 ...
from 1899 to 1923.
According to one study, Culberson belonged (like
Jim Hogg
James Stephen Hogg (March 24, 1851March 3, 1906) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the List of Governors of Texas, 20th governor of Texas from 1891 to 1895. He was born near Rusk, Texas. Hogg was a follower of the conservativi ...
, his predecessor as governor) “to a stream of Texas liberal populism.”
Early life and education
Charles Allen Culberson was born on June 10, 1855, in
Dadeville, Alabama
Dadeville is a city in and the county seat of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 3,230, up from 3,212 in 2000.
History
Prior to its incorporation, Dadeville was an Indian trading post and a center ...
, to Eugenia (née Kimbal) and
David Browning Culberson
David Browning Culberson (September 29, 1830 – May 7, 1900) was a Confederate soldier, a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Early years
Culberson was born in Troup County, Georgia, on Se ...
. His father was a Democratic politician. Culberson's family moved to Texas in 1856, settling first in Gilmer and later in
Jefferson
Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer)
* Jefferson (singer) or Geoff Turton (born 1944), British s ...
.
Culberson attended
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...
, graduating in 1874, and subsequently studied law under his father and then at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
at
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
in 1876 and 1877. In 1877 he was admitted to the bar in
Daingerfield, Texas
Daingerfield is a city in and the county seat of Morris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,560 at the 2010 census.
The bluegrass instrumental tune Old Dangerfield by Bill Monroe was named after the town of Daingerfield.
Geograph ...
, and commenced practice in Jefferson, later moving to
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 ...
in 1887. He was a member of the Jefferson Literacy Society and the Moot Court at the University of Virginia.
Law career
Culberson started practicing law in Marion County in 1877. He was known for overturning a verdict for a man convicted of murder under the Ku Klux Law of Texas, and causing the law to be labeled as unconstitutional.
Political career
Texas state politics
Culberson's political career began with his election as
Attorney General of Texas
The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer of the in 1890, a position he held until 1895, after campaigning for and winning the governor's race in November 1894. During his tenure as governor, a wide range of reforms were carried out.
After serving two terms as governor, he was elected to the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
on January 25, 1899.
Senate tenure
Early during his tenure, he served on the Lodge Committee investigating war crimes in the
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...
. Later, he chaired several senate committees, including the judiciary committee, which he chaired from 1913 to 1919. Culberson was opposed to demands for
racial equality
Racial equality is when people of all Race (human categorization), races and Ethnic group, ethnicities are treated in an egalitarian/equal manner. Racial equality occurs when institutions give individuals legal, moral, and Civil and political r ...
, stating that efforts to do so would lead to the "consequent debasement, degradation or destruction of the
white race
White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view.
De ...
".
Culberson was reelected in 1905, 1911, and, again, by popular vote in 1916, when health problems and
alcoholism
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
prevented him from campaigning in Texas but did not prevent his reelection. However, his health and opposition to the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
finally led to the loss of his seat in the Democratic primary in 1922.
He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Earle Bradford Mayfield, the outgoing member of the
Texas Railroad Commission
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and s ...
.
While serving in the senate, Culberson was described by labor leader
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers (; January 27, 1850December 11, 1924) was a British-born American cigar maker, labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as the organization's ...
Culberson married Sallie Harrison on December 7, 1882. They had one daughter, Mary Harrison.
Culberson lived in retirement until his death from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, on March 19, 1925. He is buried in East Oakwood Cemetery in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
.
Culberson was a distant cousin of
John Culberson
John Abney Culberson (born August 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019. A Republican, he served in in large portions of western Houston and surrounding Ha ...