Bay City in Matagorda County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Ira Ingram
First Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
(1788-1837)
(front side)
Born in Vermont. Came to Texas in 1824. Worked to establish the Republic. Represented Matagorda in the First Congress of the Republic where he served as speaker, Oct. 1836 to April 1837. At his death in Sept. 1837 left $70,000 to schools in Matagorda.
Since Ingram's term, 62 men have served Texas as speaker. Five have gone on to become governor. One, Sam Rayburn, became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and served 21 years in that office.
The speaker, elected from the 150 members of the house, is one of the most powerful men in state government—being third in line of succession to the governorship. Through his power of appointment of the 41 standing committees, and a presiding officer, he directs the course of legislation.
He is chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee; vice-chairman of the Legislative Budget Board; and vice-chairman of the Texas Legislative Council. He signs all legislative acts and resolutions, appoints conference and interim committees, and performs many administrative duties spanning his two year term.
House Speakers During the Period of the Republic:
Ira Ingram 1836
Branch T. Archer 1837
Joseph Rowe 1837
John M. Hansford 1838
David S. Kaufman 1839
Kenneth L. Anderson 1841
N.H. Darnell 1842
Richardson Scurry 1843
John M. Lewis 1844
Since Statehood:
W.E. Crump 1846 J.W. Henderson 1847 C.G. Keenan 1849 D.C. Dickson 1851 H.R. Runnels 1853 H.P. Bee 1855 Wm. S. Taylor 1857 Dr. M.D. K. Taylor 1859, 1863, 1873 N.H. Darnell 1861 N.M. Burford 1866 Ira H. Evans 1870 Guy M. Bryans 1874 T.R. Banner 1876 John H. Cochran 1879, 1893 George R. Reeves 1881 C.R. Gibson 1883 L.L. Foster 1885 George C. Pendleton 1887 F.P. Alexander 1889 R.T. Milner 1891 T.S. Smith 1895 L.T. Dashiell 1897 J.S. Sherrill 1899 R.E. Price 1901 Pat M. Neff 1903 F.W. Seabury 1905 Thomas B. Lowe 1907 A.M. Kennedy 1909 John Marshall 1909 Sam Rayburn 1911 Chester A Terrell 1913 John W. Woods 1915 F.O. Fuller 1917 R.E. Thomason 1919 Charles G. Thomas 1921 R.E. Seagler 1923 Lee Slaterwhite 1925 R.L. Bobbitt 1927 W.S. Barron 1929 Fred Minor 1931 Coke R. Stevenson 1933, 1935 Robert W. Calvert 1937 R. Emmet Morse 1939 Homer Leonard 1941 Price Daniel 1943 Claud Gilmer 1945 W.O. Reed 1947 Durwood Manford 1949 Ruben Senterfitt 1951, 1953 Jim Lindsey 1955 Wagoner Carr 1957, 1959 Jim Thurman 1961 Byron Tunnell 1963 Ben Barnes 1965
Erected 1965 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 1868.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Government & Politics.
Location. 28° 58.958′ N, 95° 58.194′ W. Marker is in Bay City, Texas, in Matagorda County. Marker is on Avenue F (State Highway 60) south of 7th Street (State Highway 35), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located beside the sidewalk, near the northwest corner of the Matagorda County Courthouse grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1700 7th Street, Bay City TX 77414, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sugar Cane Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Matagorda County (within shouting distance of this marker); Bay City Post Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Bay City Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Matagorda, C.S.A. (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Matagorda County (within shouting distance of this marker); Matagorda County Confederate Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Austin Building (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bay City.
Also see . . .
1. Ira Ingram. Ira Ingram, soldier, legislator, and member of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, was born in Brookfield, Vermont, on August 19, 1788. Ira moved to Texas in January 1826 and settled in the Austin colony in the area that became Waller County. In 1828 he and his brother were partners in a merchandising establishment in San Felipe de Austin. Ingram was Matagorda representative in the First Congress of the Republic of Texas and was elected speaker of the House. He resigned from the legislature on May 1, 1837, possibly because of the disclosure that he had once been convicted of forgery and imprisoned in New York. (Submitted on May 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Ira Ingram. The Texas Revolution broke out on October 2, 1835. On December 22, 1835, Ingram wrote the Goliad Declaration of Independence. Ingram also played a key role in the Texas Revolution. After the war, he was the first Speaker of the House for the Republic of Texas. He served during the First Congress of the Republic of Texas (1836–37). (Submitted on May 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2018. It was originally submitted on May 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 285 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.