Seventeen congressmen represented Wood County in Washington during the county’s first 100 years

(This article was written by an unknown author in 1939. Maybe some of you would like to volunter to do the research to complete the history up to the present W.C.)

 

Texas entered the Union on December 29th, 1845, and her two representatives to Congress were seated in June of the following year. At the time, Texas was divided into two congressional districts. The First District was comprised of the counties of the eastern half of Texas and the Second District took in all the western counties. Panola, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood counties lay in the First or Eastern District.
 

Camp and Gregg counties were not created until after the Civil War. Gregg County was taken from Rusk and Upshur counties and organized in 1873. Camp County was taken from Upshur in 1874.

From 1846 until 1861 David S. Kaufman of Brazoria served in the 29th Congress through the 31st spanning the years 1846 through 1851. Richardson Scurry of Clarksville served in the 32nd Congress – 1851 to 1853. George W. Smyth of Jasper served in the 33rd Congress from 1853 to 1855. Lemuel D. Evans of Marshall served in the 34th Congress, 1855 to 1857. John H. Reagan of Palestine served in the 35th and the 36th Congress, 1857 to 1861.
 

Due to the Civil War, Texas was without congressional representation from 1861 until 1873. For election to the43rd and subsequent congresses, Texas was redistricted. Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt and Wood counties were [laced in the First District and Upshur County went into the Second District.
 

Members of Congress representing the First District from 1973 until 1879 were: William S. Herdon of Tyler, 43rd Congress, 1873 to 1875; John Reagan of Palestine returned to office and served in the 44th and 45th Congresses, 1875 to 1879.
 

Those who represented the Second District during this period were: William P. McLean of Mt. Pleasant, 43rd Congress, 1873 to 1975; David B. Culberson of Jefferson, 44th and 45th Congresses, 1875 to 1879.
 

From 1879 to 1883, Rusk and Smith counties were placed in the First District, while Gregg, Wood and Van Zandt joined Upshur in the Second District. They were represented as follows: John Reagan of Palestine, 1st District, serving in the 46th and 47th Congresses, 1879 to 1883; David Culberson of Jefferson, 2nd District, again serving in the 46th and 47th Congresses, 1879 to 1883.
 

For the next decade, 1883 to 1893, Camp, Gregg, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood counties were all in the Third District along with Harrison, Hunt, Rains and Shelby counties. The Third District was represented during this period by James H. Jones of Henderson, serving in the 48th and 49th Congresses, from 1883 to 1887 and C.B. Kilgore, of Wills Point, who served in the 50th through the 52nd Congresses, 1887 to 1893.
 

From 1893 to 1903, representation was divided into three congressional districts. Panola County was in the Second District. Gregg, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood counties were in the Third District and Camp County was placed in the Fourth District. Representation was as follows: Second District, Sam B. Cooper of Woodville, serving in the 53rd through 57th Congresses from 1893 through 1903; Third District, C.B. Kilgore of Wills Point, serving in the 53rd Congress, from 1893 through 1895; Charles H. Yoakum of Greenville, serving in the 54th Congress from 1895 to 1897; Reese C. de Graffenreid of Longview, serving in the 55th Congress through the 57th Congress from 1897 through 1902 and Gordon J. Russell of Tyler, serving in the 57th Congress, 1902 to 1903; Fourth District, David Culberson, once again, serving in the 53rd and 54th Congresses from 1893 through 1897; John W. Cranford of Sulphur Springs, serving in the 55th Congress, 1897 to 1899; John L. Sheppard of Texarkana, serving in the 56th and 57th Congresses from1899 through 1902 and Morris Sheppard of Texarkana, serving in the 57th Congress, 1902 to 1903.
 

From 1903 until 1935, these counties lay in three separate districts: Camp County was in the First District; Panola County was in the Second District, and Gregg, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood were in the Third District.
 

Representation was as follows:
Morris Sheppard of Texarkana served again in the 58th Congress through to 62nd Congress, spanning the years 1903 through 1913; Horace W. Vaughan of Texarkana, serving in the 63rd Congress, 1913 to 1915; Eugene Black of Clarksville, serving in the 64th through the 70th Congresses, from 1915 through 1929; Wright Pattman of Texarkana, serving in the 71st Congress through the 73rd, from 1929 through 1935.
Second District: Sam B. Cooper of Beaumont served in the 58th Congress, 1903 to 1905; Moses L. Brooks of San Augustine served in the 59th Congress, 1905 to 1907, Sam Cooper of Beaumont again served in the 60th Congress, 1907 to 1909; Martin Dies of Orange, served in the 61st Congress through the 65th Congress from 1909 to 1919; John C. Box of Jacksonville, served in the 66th Congress through the 71sr Congress, 1919 to 1931; Martin returned and served in the 72nd and 73rd Congresses, from 1931 to 1935.
 

Third District: Gordon J. Russell of Tyler served in the 58th Congress through the 61st Congress, from 1903 through 1910; James Young of Kaufman served in the 62nd Congress through the 66th Congress, from 1911 through 1921; Morgan G. Sanders of Canton served in the 67th Congress through the 73rd Congress, from 1921 through 1935.
 

After 1935, these counties – Camp, Gregg, Panola, Rusk, Smith, Upshur and Wood – went into the Third Congressional District. They were represented by the following Congressmen: Morgan Sanders of Canton, served in the 74th Congress and the 75th Congress, from 1935 to 1939. Lindley Beckworth of Gladewater represented the District in the 76th Congress, from 1939 and was still serving when this article was written in 1939.