1869 Texas Senate election

1869 Texas Senate election

← 1866 November 30, 1869 1872  →
All 30 seats in the Texas Senate 16 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Republican Democratic Independent Alliance Radical Conservative Conservative Seats won 19 [a] 9 2 [b]
Republican win     Democratic win      Independent win      Non-district territory
Elected President Pro Tempore Donald Campbell Republican

The 1869 Texas Senate elections took place in tandem with the 1869 Texas gubernatorial election and the election for the ratification of a new state constitution as a part of Texas's readmission to the United States following the Civil War. Texas voters elected state senators in all 30 State Senate districts. The winners of this election served in the 12th Texas Legislature, holding staggered six-year terms. This was the first time the Republican Party had ever won a majority in the Texas Senate, and it would be the only time they would do so until 1996.

Background

Texas underwent military occupation as a part of Reconstruction following the defeat of the Confederate States of America in the Civil War. The state adopted a new constitution in 1866 and held legislative elections, which were won primarily by conservative White Democrats. The legislature refused to adopt the Thirteenth Amendment and instead passed laws establishing "black codes" to attempt to maintain a system of white supremacy. This legislature was declared provisional after the passage of the First Reconstruction Act by Congress in 1867 as the state government underwent a full military takeover. Any elected official who had failed to take a "Test Oath" had been removed by April 1869.

A new constitutional convention was called in June 1868, but it did not adjourn until February 1869. A new election was initially planned for the Spring, but it was not held until the end of the year. Elections for governor and the legislature were held concurrently with the election to ratify the state's new constitution. ^[1]

Results

Republicans won a majority of seats, securing nineteen while Democrats won nine. ^[1] Two conservative independents also won seats. ^[2] Two African Americans, George Ruby and Matthew Gaines, were among the Republicans elected, the first to do so in the state's history. ^{[3] [4]} Every elected Republican was considered a Radical Republican except for Andrew Evans, who was unseated in an election contest shortly after taking office and replaced by Radical Republican S.W. Ford. ^[5]

Notes

1. One moderate Republican was elected but was quickly replaced by a radical.
2. Both Independents are listed as Democrats in some sources

References

1. Association, Texas State Historical. "Reconstruction Era in Texas: Political, Social, and Economic Changes". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
2. Spaw, Patsy McDonald (February 1, 1999). The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889. Texas A&M University Press. p. 91. ISBN   978-0-89096-857-4.
3. The Texas Almanac for 1870, and Emigrants Guide to Texas (PDF).
4. Association, Texas State Historical. "The Evolution of the Texas Legislature: A Historical Overview". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
5. Spaw, Patsy McDonald (February 1, 1999). The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889. Texas A&M University Press. p. 87. ISBN   978-0-89096-857-4.