Eber Worthington Cave (July 14, 1831 – March 28, 1904) was a journalist, civic promoter, and politician in Texas. He was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and began working as a printer in New Jersey. He moved to Texas in 1853 and bought the ''Nacogdoches Chronicle'' in 1854. As editor of this newspaper, he opposed re-opening the African slave trade and supported

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

in his effort to become Governor in the late 1850s. Houston made Cave his Secretary of State in late 1859. An opponent of secession, Cave resigned in early 1861. He did later materially support the Confederacy and served as a Confederate officer with the rank of Major. In 1864 he sold what was later known as the Mrs. Sam Houston House to his friend

Margaret Lea Houston Margaret Lea Houston (April 11, 1819 – December 3, 1867) was First Lady of the Republic of Texas during her husband Sam Houston's second term as President of the Republic of Texas. They met following the first of his two non-consecutive terms ...

. In his later years, Cave was an executive with railroad and shipping companies. He helped to promote what eventually became the

Houston Ship Channel The Houston Ship Channel, in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston, one of the busiest seaports in the world. The channel (geography), channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between Houston-area terminals and the Gulf of Mexico, ...

. Major Cave died March 28, 1904, several days after falling from a

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

, and was buried in Houston in Glenwood Cemetery.

References

Handbook of Texas Online - Eber Worthington Cave
1831 births 1904 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Texas Secretaries of state of Texas Journalists from Texas {{Texas-politician-stub