Nelson "Nat" R. Strong (February 11, 1862 – February 26, 1930) was an American politician.
Strong was born on February 11, 1862, in Illinois and later arrived in
Port Arthur, Texas
Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...
, in 1896 where he served as a founding developer, became its first postmaster, and the first mayor of Port Arthur,
between 1898 and 1899.
Personal life
He married
Cora Gray Strong in 1905, and the couple settled in her hometown of
Slocum, Texas
Slocum is an unincorporated community in southeastern Anderson County, Texas, United States. According to the ''Handbook of Texas'', the community had a population of 198 in 2018. It is located within the Palestine, Texas micropolitan area.
Sl ...
.
Political career
Strong was elected as Port Arthur's first mayor upon the town's incorporation in May 1898. Incidentally as recalled by early Port Arthur dignitaries, Strong was declared the winner by one vote in the final tabulation after an error that occurred when R.H. Woodworth, who later became the city's third mayor, accidentally dropped a cashier check instead of his ballot into the voting box. Strong resigned as mayor in September 1899.
Nelson Strong was elected to
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 1928, and held the District 55 seat 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 ...
from 8 January 1929 until his death on 26 February 1930.
Strong's wife succeeded him as a state representative.
See also
*
List of mayors of Port Arthur, Texas
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Nelson R.
People from Port Arthur, Texas
People from Anderson County, Texas
19th-century American politicians
American city founders
Mayors of places in Texas
Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
1862 births
1930 deaths
Spouses of Texas politicians
20th-century members of the Texas Legislature