Governor Oscar B. Colquitt

Governor Oscar B. Colquitt. 204 W Nash. , Governor Oscar Colquitt was born in Georgia in 1861 to Thomas Jefferson Colquitt and Ann Elizabeth (Burkhalter) Colquitt. His family had a long tradition of political service. Two of his uncles served as U.S. Senators, with one of them, Alfred H. Colquitt also serving as Governor of Georgia., In 1881, Colquitt became a "printer's devil" for the Morris County Banner and learned the printing trade. Several months after beginning his job, his employer opened a newspaper in Greenville and Colquitt worked there until he purchased his own paper in 1884, the Pittsburgh Gazette. Within two years Colquitt had purchased two newspapers in Terrell and combined them into one newspaper, the Times-Star. Colquitt moved to Terrell in 1886. He also founded the First National Bank of Terrell, was a member of the Texas Senate (1895-97), a Texas State Revenue Agent in 1898 and Texas Railroad Commissioner, (1903-11). In 1911, he was elected as a Democrat as the 25th Governor of Texas, serving until 1915. His achievements during his terms in office included completion of state prison system reform, increased appropriations for the state's educational institutions and labor protections., After Governorship, he moved to Dallas and became involved in the petroleum industry in Dallas and served on the U.S. Board of Mediation from 1935 until his death at age 78 in Dallas, Texas., Historical information on this mural was obtained largely from the book "Cap'n Terrell's Town" written by Dr. Horace Flatt., The Terrell Mural Project is an on-going endeavor to portray the history of Terrell through art. Our goal is to bring Terrell's rich history to life through our murals., The artist for this mural is Charlie Bullock.