Jeremiah Vardaman Cockrell, also known as Vard Cockrell, (May 7, 1832 – March 18, 1915) was a U.S. Representative from Texas, after having served as a field commander in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was a prominent member of the political South–Cockrell–Hargis family.

Early life

Cockrell was born near Warrensburg, Missouri, to Joseph Cockrell (the sheriff of Johnson County) and Nancy (Ellis) Cockrell, who had migrated there from the Upper South. He attended the common schools and Chapel Hill College in Lafayette County, Missouri. He was the older brother of

Francis Marion Cockrell Francis Marion Cockrell (October 1, 1834December 13, 1915) was a Confederate military commander and American politician from the state of Missouri. He served as a United States senator from Missouri for five terms. He was a prominent member o ...

, who also served as a Confederate officer and later as a US Senator from Missouri. As a young man, Cockrell went to California in 1849 during the Gold Rush. He worked as a miner and a merchant near the Bear River. Cockrell returned to Missouri in 1853, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits, studied law and, for a time, was a minister in the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

Marriage and family

On April 7, 1852, he married Maranda "Jane" Douglas. They had five children together.

Civil War

Cockrell entered the Missouri State Guard and then later joined the Confederate States Army as a lieutenant. He served throughout the Civil War, attaining the rank of colonel. Cockrell served in the 8th Division of the Missouri State Guard at the Battle of Carthage, the Battle of Wilson's Creek and the Siege of Lexington. He was nominally in command at the Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri, in August 1862. In October 1862, he led a skirmish of State Guard and guerrillas (with Bill Truman) against Kansas forces at the Skirmish at Island Mound in Bates County, Missouri. This was the first time that a regiment of

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

engaged in combat against Confederate forces; they held their ground and helped achieve Union victory. In 1864 Cockrell was wounded so severely that he could not return to field duty.

Post-war and politics

At the close of the war, Cockrell settled with his family in Sherman, Texas, where he practiced law. He was appointed as Chief Justice of Grayson County, Texas, in 1872. He served as delegate to the Democratic state conventions in 1878 and 1880. He and his family moved from the northern area to Jones County, in the center of Texas. There he was appointed judge of the Thirty-ninth judicial district court in 1885. He was elected to the position in 1886 and re-elected in 1890. In 1892, Cockrell was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Congress, where he served until 1897. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1896. He returned to engage in farming and stock raising in Jones County. Cockrell died in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

on March 18, 1915, at the age of 82. He was interred in the Masonic Cemetery. His son, Joseph E. Cockrell, founded the Southern Methodist University School of Law.

References

Sources

Retrieved on 2009-5-12 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cockrell, Jeremiah Vardaman 1832 births 1915 deaths Texas state court judges Confederate States Army officers People of Missouri in the American Civil War Missouri State Guard Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges