Alexander Asberry
Alexander Asberry | |
|---|---|
 Asberry's portrait for the 21st Texas Legislature | |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 48th district | |
| In office January 8, 1889 – January 13, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Van Buren Garner |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Leonard Goodman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 2, 1861 |
| Died | c. 1896 – c. 1903 (aged 35-42) |
| Party | Republican |
| Occupation | Politician |
Alexander Asberry (November 2, 1861 – c. 1896 – c. 1903) was an American politician. A Republican, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Early life
[edit]Asberry was born on November 2, 1861, Wilderville, Texas (then part of the Confederate States of America), the son of William Asberry and Julia Asberry.[1] He was born a slave.[2] He studied at the Hearne Academy and worked as a grocer.[1] He lived in Calvert.[2]
Politics
[edit]Asberry was a Republican. He was a delegate to the 1888 and 1892 Republican National Conventions. In 1884, he unsuccessfully ran for the Texas House of Representatives. He ran again in 1888, winning.[1] He served from January 8, 1889, to January 13, 1891, representing the 48th district.[3]
While serving, Asberry was a member of the Committees on County Government and County Finances and on Mining and Minerals.[3] He supported making railway companies liable for livestock their trains strike. He also supported ending segregation on train cars, and abolishing convict leasing and replacing it with prison farms.[1]
Asberry lost the 1890 election, and unsuccessfully ran in 1896, losing the latter by 21 votes.[1] He was allegedly shot by judge O. D. Cannon – who also murdered representative Harriel G. Geiger – after he appeal the election to him.[4][5] The Texas Legislature voted against his election appeal.[1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Asberry was also a Baptist deacon.[1] One source called him a "soft-spoken, modest man".[6] He died at some point between 1896 and 1903, aged between 35 and 42. He died before February 19, 1903 at the latest, for his estate was probated by the Robertson County court that day.[1] According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, he died c. 1903, in Robertson County.[2] In 2010, he and 51 other African Americans who served in Texas during the Reconstruction era were memorialized on a monument.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lucko, Paul M. "Alexander Asberry: A Pioneer Black Republican in Texas Politics". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Forever Free: The Biographies - Page 1 | Texas State Library". www.tsl.texas.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
- 1 2 "Member profile for Alexander Asberry - Texas Legislative Reference Library". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
- ↑ Lind, Michael (2003). Made In Texas. Basic Books. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-465-04121-3.
- ↑ Cottrell, Robert Charles (April 2004). The Best Pitcher in Baseball. NYU Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-8147-1615-1.
- ↑ Freeman, Melissa (2012). Hearne. Arcadia Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7385-8540-6.
- ↑ "African American Legislators of the 19th Century". Texas Almanac. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
- Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
- 1861 births
- 1903 deaths
- African-American state legislators in Texas
- African-American politicians of the Reconstruction era
- People from Falls County, Texas
- American grocers
- People from Robertson County, Texas
- 20th-century African-American politicians
- 20th-century African-American businesspeople
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature
