Chilton, chief justice of Alabama. He was admitted to the bar in and began practice in Dadeville. In he moved to Texas and settled in Upshur County, where he practiced law in partnership with Gen. Mabry until , when he moved to Jefferson. Culberson was a member of the Texas legislature from Upshur County during the session β60; he resigned his seat because he opposed secession and his district favored it.
When the Civil War began he aided in raising the Eighteenth Texas Infantry, of which he became lieutenant colonel. After service in the Vicksburg area in and his health broke, and he was assigned to Austin as adjutant general of Texas. In the winter of he was elected to the legislature from Cass, Titus, and Bowie counties and resigned his military position to accept. Culberson attended the Democratic state convention in and served as a presidential elector. As a prominent Jefferson lawyer he was one of the defense attorneys in the Stockade Case of , and he helped defend accused murderer Abe Rothschild in the Diamond Bessie Murder Trial.
Culberson was elected in to the state Senate; he resigned when he was elected to the Forty-fourth Congress of the United States. He was reelected for ten successive terms and served from March 4, , to March 3, In office he supported prohibition and opposed federal interference in state government. In he favored the repeal of the Specie Act, and in he introduced antitrust legislation in Congress.
Though he was in sympathy with many of their political goals, Culberson campaigned against the Populists in the s, attacking them as a divisive force in state politics. He served in this capacity until his death. Culberson , became governor of Texas. Culberson was a Mason and an Odd Fellow.
He died in Jefferson on May 7, , and was buried in Girard Cemetery. All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. For more information go to: If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
