John H. Reagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John H. Reagan
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| United States Senator from Texas |
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| In office March 4, 1887 – June 10, 1891 |
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| Preceded by | Samuel Maxey |
| Succeeded by | Horace Chilton |
| Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury | |
| Acting April 27, 1865 – May 10, 1865 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | George Trenholm |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Confederate States Postmaster General | |
| In office March 6, 1861 – May 10, 1865 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas |
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| In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1887 |
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| Preceded by | William Herndon |
| Succeeded by | William Martin |
| Constituency | 1st district (1875–83) 2nd district (1883–87) |
| In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | Lemuel Evans |
| Succeeded by | George Whitmore |
| Constituency | 1st district |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the Nacogdoches district |
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| In office December 13, 1847 – November 5, 1849 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1818 Gatlinburg, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 1905 (aged 86) Palestine, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Palestine City Cemetery Palestine, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Edwina Moss Nelms |
John Henninger Reagan (born October 8, 1818 – died March 6, 1905) was an important American politician from Texas. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Reagan left the U.S. House of Representatives when Texas decided to leave the United States and join the Confederate States of America. During the Civil War, he worked in the government of Jefferson Davis as the Postmaster General.
After the Confederacy lost the war, Reagan was released from prison. He then urged the Southern states to work with the U.S. government. This was not a popular idea among many white Southerners at the time. Later, he was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1874. In 1886, he became a U.S. Senator for Texas, serving one term. He left the Senate to lead the Railroad Commission of Texas. Reagan also helped start the Texas State Historical Association.
He was the only person who had been a member of the Confederate cabinet to serve in the U.S. Senate after the Civil War.
Contents
Early Life and Career
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John Henninger Reagan was born in 1818 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. His parents were Timothy Richard and Elizabeth (Lusk) Reagan. His family background was mostly Irish, English, and Scottish. His middle name, Henninger, came from his Irish ancestors.
When he was 19, Reagan left Tennessee and traveled to the Republic of Texas. Texas had become independent from Mexico in 1836. From 1839 to 1843, Reagan worked as a surveyor, measuring land. He also taught children as a private tutor during this time.
Reagan bought land and farmed in Kaufman County until 1851. He studied law and became a lawyer in 1846. That same year, he was elected as a probate judge in Henderson County. In 1847, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. He practiced law in both Buffalo and Palestine, Texas.
From 1852 to 1857, Reagan served as a district judge in Palestine. He worked hard against the American Party. This helped him get elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1857. He represented Texas's 1st congressional district.
Reagan strongly supported slavery. He believed that the U.S. Constitution protected slavery as a property right. However, when it became clear that Texas would leave the Union, Reagan resigned from Congress on January 15, 1861. He returned to Texas to join the rebellion. He took part in the secession meeting in Austin, Texas. Soon after, President Jefferson Davis made Reagan his Postmaster General.
Role in the Civil War
Even though the war had started, the U.S. Post Office continued to operate in the South until June 1, 1861. Then, the Confederate postal service took over. Reagan sent someone to Washington, D.C., to ask U.S. Post Office leaders to work for him. Many of them agreed and brought their records and contracts. One historian said that Reagan "stole the U.S. Post Office."
Reagan saved money by cutting expensive mail routes that were not used much. He also made railroads lower their prices for carrying mail. Despite the war's challenges, his department actually made a profit. This made it "the only post office department in American history to pay its own way," according to historian William C. Davis.
Reagan was the only cabinet member who disagreed with Robert E. Lee's plan to attack Pennsylvania in 1863. He thought it would be better to send troops to help defend Vicksburg, Mississippi. As the only cabinet member from west of the Mississippi River, Reagan understood how important Vicksburg was. Its capture would give the U.S. forces control of the river.
When President Davis left Richmond, Virginia, on April 2, 1865, Reagan went with him. On April 27, Davis made him Secretary of the Treasury. Reagan held this job until he, Davis, and Texas Governor Francis R. Lubbock were captured on May 10.
Reagan was imprisoned with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens at Fort Warren in Boston, Massachusetts. He was held alone for 22 weeks. On August 11, he wrote a letter to Texans. He urged them to work with the United States government. He also told them to end slavery and allow formerly enslaved people to vote. He warned that if Texans did not do this, the U.S. government would use military rule. Texans were very angry with him for this letter. He was released from prison later that year and returned home in December.
Return to Public Service
Many people felt that the Reconstruction period after the war was too harsh. Reagan's earlier warnings seemed wise to them. He became known as the "Old Roman." He helped remove Republican Governor Edmund J. Davis from office in Texas in 1874. Davis had tried to stay in office after losing the election.
That same year, Reagan was elected back to the U.S. Congress. He served from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1887. In 1875, he helped write a new state constitution for Texas. In Congress, he pushed for the government to regulate railroads. He also helped create the Interstate Commerce Commission, which oversees transportation. He was the first chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads.
In 1887, the Texas State Legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate. He served from March 4, 1887, to June 10, 1891. He then resigned to become the chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas. His friend, Governor Jim Hogg, asked him to take this job. Reagan led the commission until 1903.
Reagan understood the importance of history. He founded the Texas State Historical Association. He also attended meetings of Confederate veterans in Texas. He wrote his Memoirs, With Special Reference to Secession and the Civil War, which was published in 1905. Later that year, Reagan died from pneumonia at his home in Palestine. He was the last surviving member of Jefferson Davis's cabinet. Reagan was buried in East Hill Cemetery in Palestine, Texas.
Legacy and Honors
- Historian Ben H. Procter named Reagan as one of the "four greatest Texans of the 19th century." The others were Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and James Stephen Hogg.
- Reagan County, Texas, was named in his honor.
- Several schools were named for him, including John H. Reagan Elementary School in Dallas. Reagan High School in Houston was renamed Heights High School in 2016. Reagan Early College High School in Austin was renamed Northeast Early College High School in 2019.
- The John H. Reagan State Office Building on the Texas State Capitol grounds was named after him.
- A statue of Reagan was on the University of Texas at Austin campus. On August 21, 2017, the statue was removed. Plans were made to move it to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
- A park in his hometown of Palestine, Texas, was named for him. A statue of Reagan is also in the park.
See also
- List of United States senators from Texas
