Download or read book George W Brackenridge written by Marilyn Mcadams Sibley and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2013-12-06 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George W. Brackenridge (1832–1920) was a paradox to his fellow Texans. A Republican in a solidly Democratic state, a financier in a cattleman's country, a Prohibitionist in the goodtime town of San Antonio, he devoted his energies to making a fortune only to give it to philanthropic causes. Indiana born, Brackenridge came to Texas in 1853, but left the state during the Civil War to serve as U.S. Treasury agent and engage in the wartime cotton trade. Later he settled in San Antonio, where he founded a bank and invested in railroads, utilities, and other enterprises. Some of Brackenridge's contemporaries never forgave him for his Civil War career, but others knew him as a public-spirited citizen, educator, and advocate of civil rights. He cared little for what others thought of him. Yet, he confided once in a rare interview that his fondest ambition was to leave the world a better place for his having lived in it. To this end, he gave generously of himself and his means. His best-known benefaction is Brackenridge Park, which he gave to the city of San Antonio, but most of his contributions were in the field of education. As regent of the University of Texas for more than twenty-five years, he gave the institution its first dormitory, a large tract of land in Austin, and innumerable smaller gifts. He also offered to underwrite the expenses of the University when Governor James E. Ferguson vetoed the appropriation bill for 1917–1919. Other educational institutions to benefit from his largess were the public schools of San Antonio, a Negro college in Seguin, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In addition, he assisted individual students, especially women, through scholarships and loans. Believing that the betterment of humanity lay in education, Brackenridge arranged for the continuation of his philanthropies. By his will he created the George W. Brackenridge Foundation, the first of its kind in Texas and one of the first in the United States. Marilyn McAdams Sibley's study of George W. Brackenridge is the first biography of an important and, for his time, unusual Texan. It presents new material concerning the Mexican cotton trade during the Civil War, on the beginnings of banking in Texas, and on higher education in Texas.
Download or read book The Texas Book written by Richard A. Holland and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2006-11-01 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides personality profiles, historical essays, and first-person reminiscences of the history of the University of Texas. Topics include recurring attacks on the school by politicians and regents, the institution's history of segregation and struggles to become a diverse university, the sixties' protest movements, and the Tower sniper shooting.
Download or read book The Foundations of Texan Philanthropy written by Mary L. Kelley and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Lone Star State has produced not only revolutionary heroes and cowboy legends, but also larger-than-life promoters of philanthropic activity. The Foundations of Texan Philanthropy, the first systematic study of the origins of foundation philanthropy in early twentieth-century Texas, chronicles the fortunes, motivations, and benefactions of affluent Texans who pioneered organized giving for the public good. In the three decades following the creation of the George W. Brackenridge Foundation in 1920, donors established approximately 180 private, philanthropic institutions. These charitable-minded organizations funded medical research, established educational scholarships, and supported community projects. In addition to the Brackenridge Foundation, this book features George B. Dealey and the Dallas Foundation, Jesse Jones and the Houston Endowment, Miss Ima and the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, the Amon G. Carter Foundation, and the Conference of Southwest Foundations, which united the many foundations in the region. The Foundations of Texan Philanthropy balances personal and family stories with the missions and financial operations of the foundations they established. The
Download or read book Spanish Water Anglo Water written by Charles R. Porter and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-22 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1718, the Spanish settled San Antonio, partly because of its prolific and breathtaking springs—at that time, one of the largest natural spring systems in the known world. The abundance of fresh water, coupled with the Spanish colonial legal concept that water was to be equitably shared by all settlers, led to the building of the system of acequias (canals or ditches) within the settlement. The system is one of the earliest and perhaps most extensive municipal water systems in North America. This book offers a meticulous chronicling of the origins and often-contentious development of water rights in San Antonio from its Spanish settlement through the beginning of the twentieth century.
Download or read book Twentieth century Texas written by John Woodrow Storey and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of fifteen essays which cover Indians, Mexican Americans, African Americans, women, religion, war on the homefront, music, literature, film, art, sports, philanthropy, education, the environment, and science and technology in twentieth-century Texas.
Download or read book Civil War Scoundrels and the Texas Cotton Trade written by Walter E. Wilson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-07-06 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Civil War, scoundrels from both the Union and Confederate sides were able to execute illicit, but ingenious, schemes to acquire Texas cotton. Texas was the only Confederate state that bordered a neutral country, it was never forcibly conquered, and its coast was impossible to effectively blockade. Using little known contemporary sources, this story reveals how charlatans exploited these conditions to run the blockade, import machinery and weapons, and defraud the state's most prominent political, military and civilian leaders in the process. Best known for his role in the romantic entanglements of his co-conspirator William Sprague, Harris Hoyt stands out due to his sharp intellect and fascinating character. Hoyt was able to draw most of Abraham Lincoln's inner circle into his web of deceit and even influenced the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. This is the first account to expose the depth and breadth of the many Texas cotton trading scams and the sheer audacity of the shadowy men who profited from them, but managed to escape the gallows.
Download or read book A Man Absolutely Sure of Himself written by David B. Gracy and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2019-11-07 with total page 659 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first full biography of George Washington Littlefield, the Texas and New Mexico rancher, Austin banker and businessman, University of Texas regent, and philanthropist. In just two decades, Littlefield’s business acumen vaulted him from debt to inclusion in 1892 on the first list of American millionaires. A Man Absolutely Sure of Himself is a grand retelling of the life of a highly successful entrepreneur and Austin civic leader whose work affected spheres from ranching and banking to civic development and academia. Littlefield’s cattle operations during the open range and early ranching periods spanned a domain in New Mexico and Texas larger than the states of Delaware and Connecticut combined. In a unique contribution to ranching art, Littlefield commissioned murals and bronze doors depicting scenes from his ranches to decorate Austin’s American National Bank, which he led for its first twenty-eight years. Gracy provides new information about Littlefield’s term as University of Texas regent and the necessity of choosing between friendship and duty during the university’s confrontation with Gov. James E. Ferguson. Proud of his Civil War service in Terry’s Texas Rangers, Littlefield funded one of the nation’s first centers for Southern history. He also underwrote the school’s purchase of its first rare book library and its training programs preparing troops for World War I’s new combat roles. Littlefield played a central role in advancing Austin from a cattleman’s town into the business center it wanted to become. His Littlefield Building, the tallest office building between New Orleans and San Francisco when it was built, served for a generation as the prime location of the town’s business community. Author David B. Gracy II, a relative of Littlefield, grounds his vivid prose in a lifetime of research into archival and family sources. His comprehensive biography illuminates an exceptional figure, whose life singularly illustrates the evolution of Texas from Southern to Western to American.
Download or read book San Antonio de B xar written by Ione William Tanner Wright ("Mrs. S. J. Wright") and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The South Western Reporter written by and published by . This book was released on 1923 with total page 1224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes the decisions of the Supreme Courts of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas, and Court of Appeals of Kentucky; Aug./Dec. 1886-May/Aug. 1892, Court of Appeals of Texas; Aug. 1892/Feb. 1893-Jan./Feb. 1928, Courts of Civil and Criminal Appeals of Texas; Apr./June 1896-Aug./Nov. 1907, Court of Appeals of Indian Territory; May/June 1927-Jan./Feb. 1928, Courts of Appeals of Missouri and Commission of Appeals of Texas.
Download or read book A Twentieth Century History of Southwest Texas written by and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Links to the Past written by Dan K. Utley and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-15 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As they tee up, make their approach shots, or line up their putts, few Texan golfers likely realize that the familiar landscapes of tee boxes, fairways, and greens can obscure stories from the past that played out on those same grounds. Such little-known links to the past include prehistoric campsites, a Spanish presidio, and a prairie where the Rough Riders trained, as well as courses constructed by New Deal agencies in the Great Depression or military personnel in times of war. Links to the Past: The Hidden History on Texas Golf Courses takes readers on a tour of eighteen Texas golf courses with surprising connections to history. On the “front nine,” points of interest include encounters with dinosaur fossils near Austin, a Comanche raid on a Spanish frontier presidio near Menard, and a battle between Anglo buffalo hunters and Native Americans near Lubbock. The “back nine” explores reminders of the East Texas lumber industry near Diboll, a training ground for the Rough Riders outside downtown San Antonio, and a race riot near Houston in 1917, to name a few. In addition, Dan K. Utley with Stanley O' Graves provide full histories of the courses themselves, detailing their design and evolution and explaining how they came to be constructed at these historically significant sites. Fun, compelling, and enlightening, this book is a reminder that history has occurred all around us, not just in historic districts, state parks, or even where official state markers might be found. Featuring “scorecards” for each course that include location, historical facts, and a “signature hole of history,” as well as historical and contemporary photographs and informative sidebars, Links to the Past is sure to entertain. Golfers, history buffs, and heritage tourists will want to toss this handy and engaging book in the front seat of the car—or zip it into the side pocket of their golf bags.
Download or read book South Western Reporter Second Series written by and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 1228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book American Venice written by Lewis Fisher and published by Trinity University Press. This book was released on 2015-02-23 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In American Venice: The Epic Story of San Antonio’s River, Lewis F. Fisher uncovers the evolution of San Antonio’s beloved River Walk. He shares how San Antonians refused to give up on the vital water source that provided for them from before the city’s beginnings. In 1941 neglect, civic uprisings, and bursts of creativity culminated in the completion of a Works Projects Administration project designed by Robert H. H. Hugman. The resulting River Walk languished for years but enjoyed renewed interest during the 1968 World’s Fair, held in San Antonio, and has since become the center of the city’s cultural and historical narrative. “The real story [of the River Walk] is a bit less Hollywood but far more interesting . . . With a growing number of cities facing issues of water supply, urban runoff, flooding, and ways of rebuilding better after a disaster, the San Antonio River Walk remains a great example of getting it right,” writes Irby Hightower, co-chair of the San Antonio River Oversight Committee. In this updated and expanded edition of River Walk: The Epic Story of San Antonio’s River, Fisher offers more fascinating stories about the River Walk’s evolution, bringing to light new facts and sharing historical images that he has since discovered. The update includes information about the Museum and Mission Reaches, two expansions of the River Walk that are vital to San Antonio’s continued growth as the seventh largest city in the country. Fisher starts his story with the first written records of the river, in the 1690s, and continues through the 1800s and the flood of 1921, to debates over transforming the river and its eventual role as the crown jewel of Texas, and finally to its recent expansion. More than a community attraction, the River Walk’s banks are also a giant botanical garden full of plants and trees. Indeed, the American Society for Horticulture has named the River Walk a Horticultural Landmark. As Fisher says, the River Walk “remains a work in progress, one forever precarious and unfinished yet standing before the world as a triumph of enterprise and human imagination.”
Download or read book General and Special Laws of the State of Texas written by Texas and published by . This book was released on 1901 with total page 940 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book General and Special Laws written by Texas and published by . This book was released on 1905 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Special Laws Passed by the Legislature of the State of Texas written by Texas and published by . This book was released on 1901 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Laws Passed by the Legislature of the State of Texas written by Texas and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 914 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
