Stephen W. Perkins (c. 1809—after 1869) was an American political figure in the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

and early statehood Texas who, in 1846–47, served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives during the

First Texas Legislature The First Texas Legislature convened from February 16 to May 13, 1846 in regular session. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate were elected in December 1845, after an election on October 13, 1845 that ratified the proposed state const ...

. A native of Kentucky, Perkins moved in 1840 to Texas' Brazoria County, where he founded a plantation in the village of Bailey's Prairie. In 1844 he was elected to the Texas House in the Ninth Congress of the Republic of Texas. Perkins was on the committee charged to write an "Address to the People of Texas" in regard to annexation. After the annexation of Texas, Perkins was elected to the House of Representatives of the First Texas Legislature, and to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the Second Legislature. During his time in the House, Perkins was elected Speaker after the resignation of

William H. Bourland William Howard Bourland (c. 1811–1860) was a politician in the Republic of Texas and early statehood Texas who served briefly as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives during the First Texas Legislature. Bourland was born in about 1811 ...

. After fulfilling his legislative duties, Perkins served as chief justice of Brazoria County from 1850 until 1862. In that year, at the age of 53, with the Civil War at full momentum, he reported as a private in the Brazoria Volunteers of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

Regiment, a home guard company. In 1866 he was re-elected to his former judicial post in Brazoria County, but the regional Union commander, Major General

Joseph J. Reynolds Joseph Jones Reynolds (January 4, 1822 – February 25, 1899) was an American engineer, educator, and military officer who fought in the American Civil War and the postbellum Indian Wars. Early life and career Reynolds was born in Flemingsbur ...

removed him from office on April 25, 1869, as "an impediment to Reconstruction". Stephen W. Perkins had married in 1850, but his wife, Anne E., died before 1860. No specific documentation has been produced to indicate his activity after 1869, including the year of his death.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Stephen W. Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas state senators Texas state court judges People of Texas in the American Civil War People of the Reconstruction Era People from Kentucky People from Brazoria County, Texas 1800s births 19th-century deaths Year of death missing Place of birth unknown Place of death missing Date of birth unknown 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges