Peter W. Gray (December 12, 1819 – October 3, 1874) was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator 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 ...

. He represented Texas in the

Confederate House of Representatives The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly/legislature of the Confederate States of America that existed from February 1861 to April/June 1865, during the American Civil War. Its actions were, ...

, and briefly served on the

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court o ...

Early life

Gray was born to William Fairfax Gray and Mary "Millie" (Stone) Gray in

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...

on December 12, 1819. In 1838, he moved to

Houston, Texas 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 ...

, with his parents and siblings. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with his father and was admitted to the bar.

Career

After his father died, Gray was appointed Houston’s District Attorney on April 24, 1841, remaining in the job until Texas became a state in 1845. He also served the city of Houston as an Alderman and on the local board of health. Gray was elected to the House of Representatives in the first Texas state legislature in 1846, then authored the first procedural code in Texas. In 1848 he founded the ''Houston Lyceum'', which later became the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...

. He was elected to the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

in 1854, then served as a State District Court Judge from 1856 to 1861. In 1861, Gray attended the Texas State Secession Convention, and voted to leave the union. In November that year, he was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. After the war he returned to his law practice in Houston, Gray, Botts & Baker. In 1874 he quit his practice upon being appointed as an associate justice of the

, but served only a few months before resigning due to declining health.

Death and legacy

Gray died at home in Houston of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, and is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in Houston. He was an active

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

and a Mason.

Gray County, Texas Gray County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,227. The county seat is Pampa. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1902. Gray County is named for Peter W. Gray, a C ...

, is named in his honor.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Peter W. 1819 births 1874 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Texas Justices of the Supreme Court of Texas Texas state senators Members of the Texas House of Representatives Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Lawyers from Houston People from the Republic of Texas Army of the Republic of Texas personnel People associated with Baker Botts 19th-century Texas state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature

Early life

Career

Death and legacy

References

Further reading

External links