Charles A. Culberson
Culberson in 1904 publication
Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office December 1907 – December 1909
Preceded by	Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn
Succeeded by	Hernando Money
United States Senator from Texas
In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1923
Preceded by	Roger Q. Mills
Succeeded by	Earle B. Mayfield
21st Governor of Texas
In office January 15, 1895 – January 17, 1899
Lieutenant	George Taylor Jester
Preceded by	Jim Hogg
Succeeded by	Joseph D. Sayers
Attorney General of Texas
In office January 20, 1891 – January 15, 1895
Governor	Jim Hogg
Preceded by	Jim Hogg
Succeeded by	Martin McNulty Crane
Personal details
Born	Charles Allen Culberson (1855-06-10)June 10, 1855 Dadeville, Alabama, U.S.
Died	March 19, 1925(1925-03-19) (aged 69) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	East Oakwood Cemetery Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sally Harrison ​ (m. 1882)​
Children	1
Education	Virginia Military Institute (BS) University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855 – March 19, 1925) was an American political figure and Democrat who served as the 21st Governor of Texas from 1895 to 1899, and as a United States senator from Texas from 1899 to 1923.

Early life and education

Charles Allen Culberson was born on June 10, 1855, in Dadeville, Alabama, to Eugenia (née Kimbal) and David Browning Culberson. His father was a Democratic politician. Culberson's family moved to Texas in 1856, settling first in Gilmer and later in Jefferson.^[1][2]

Culberson attended Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 1874, and subsequently studied law under his father and then at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1876 and 1877. In 1877 he was admitted to the bar in Daingerfield, Texas, and commenced practice in Jefferson, later moving to Dallas in 1887.^[1][2] He was a member of the Jefferson Literacy Society and the Moot Court at the University of Virginia.^[2]

Law career

Culberson started practicing law in Marion County in 1877. He was known for overturning a verdict for a man convicted of murder under the Ku Klux Law of Texas, and causing the law to be labeled as unconstitutional.^[2][3]

Political career

Texas state politics

Culberson's political career began with his election as Attorney General of Texas in 1890, a position he held until 1895, after campaigning for and winning the governor's race in November 1894. After two terms as governor, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat on January 25, 1899.^[1]

Senate tenure

Early during his tenure, he served on the Lodge Committee investigating war crimes in the Philippine–American War. Later, he chaired several senate committees, including the judiciary committee, which he chaired from 1913 to 1919. Culberson was opposed to demands for racial equality, stating that efforts to do so would lead to the "consequent debasement, degradation or destruction of the white race".^[4]

Culberson was reelected in 1905, 1911, and, again, by popular vote in 1916, when health problems and alcoholism prevented him from campaigning in Texas but did not prevent his reelection. However, his health and opposition to the Ku Klux Klan finally led to the loss of his seat in the Democratic primary in 1922.^[1][5]

He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Earle Bradford Mayfield, the outgoing member of the Texas Railroad Commission.^[6]

Personal life

Culberson married Sallie Harrison on December 7, 1882. They had one daughter, Mary Harrison.^[2][3]

Culberson lived in retirement until his death from pneumonia in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 1925. He is buried in East Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.^[1]

Culberson was a distant cousin of John Culberson, who represented Texas' 7th congressional district between 2001 and 2019.