Identifier:
unknown
Title:
E.M. Pease
Description:
Black and while photographic copy of a color painting of Elisha Marshall Pease. Elisha Marshall Pease (1812-1883) was born in Enfield, Hartford County, Connecticut, to Lorrain T. Pease and Sarah (Marshall) Pease. He was called "Marshall" by his family and is not known to have signed himself as anything but "E. M. Pease" and "Marshall"--never "Elisha." He studied at Westfield Academy (Mass.) until age fourteen or fifteen, after which he worked as a store clerk and then for the Hartford Post Office. He left Connecticut in 1834 and, after exploring the Midwest and making a trip to New Orleans, came to Texas in 1835. There he came to acquire financial security that he could not gain in New England. Pease settled in the Municipality of Mina (later renamed Bastrop) where he became involved in the early stages of the Texas Revolution. He fought in the first battle at Gonzales, and then he began service to the interim government and, later, that of the Republic of Texas. He wrote part of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas and served in several positions in the interim government. He settled in Brazoria at the invitation of John Austin Wharton, where he joined Wharton's law firm, and he was admitted to the Texas bar in 1837. He served in the first three terms of the Texas legislature after annexation. Pease ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1851, but he won two years later, and he and his family moved to Austin. He was governor for two terms (1853-1857), during which time his administration settled the debt remaining from the Texas Revolution, putting the state on a sound financial foundation for the first time. He persuaded the Legislature to establish a Permanent School Fund of two million dollars, but as much as he wanted public schools, they were not generally operational until after the Civil War. He encouraged railroad construction in the state and led the building campaign that resulted in construction of the Governor's Mansion, the General Land Office, and a new Capitol. He also led the establishment of state schools for the deaf and the blind, as well as the state "lunatic asylum." In 1859, Pease bought the home that James B. Shaw had built west of the City of Austin in 1854. With its surrounding farm and untouched acres, it became known as Woodlawn. The house was the prototype of the Governor's Mansion--both were built by Austin's "master builder," Abner H. Cook. Four generations of the Pease family lived there. Before, during, and after the Civil War, Pease was loyal to the Union, although he was an enslaver. He and his family remained in Austin during the War, lest they lose all their property, and he farmed with enslaved people at Woodlawn. Because he refused to swear loyalty to the Confederacy, he could not practice law during the War. During Reconstruction, he unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1866. The following year, he was appointed provisional governor by the U. S. Army command in charge of Texas. In 1869, he resigned over political differences. He continued to be involved in Texas politics and, in 1879, he was appointed United States Customs Collector, where he served two years. He co-founded a bank in Austin and was involved in civic improvements. Pease died suddenly in Lampasas and was buried in the family plot of the Austin City Cemetery, now Oakwood Cemetery.
Date Created:
undated
Date Created Range:
undated
Collection:
AF-Biography
Collection:
Pease, E. M. (Elisha Marshall), 1812-1883
Subject:
Pease, E. M. (Elisha Marshall), 1812-1883
Subject:
Portraits
Subject:
Men
Subject:
Paintings
Geographic locations:
Austin (Tex.)
Publisher:
Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Item Type:
Image
Format:
Black-and-white photographs
Required citation:
[PICB-06774], Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Rights:
AHC Owns Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for non-commercial educational or personal research use, though credit is required using the required credit line. For commercial and publication uses, you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) by submitting the form found on this page: http://library.austintexas.gov/ahc/ordering-photos.