Edmund J. Davis of Texas: Civil War General, Republican Leader, Reconstruction Governor

by Carl H. Moneyhon Ph.d

Overview

Volume two of The Texas Biography Series reveals Edmund J. Davis, the heroic man who stood in strong opposition to his peers and better reflected the ideals of the nation than those of so many of his contemporaries. Carl H. Moneyhon presents a long overdue favorable account of a man who was determined to make progressive changes and stand in stark opposition to the state’s political elite. What moved this man to take such a dramatic stand against his political peers? Moneyhon strives to answer this very question.

Edmund J. Davis was not only a part of the political elite during the Civil War, but he also opposed secession. He refused to follow most of Texas’ leaders and actively opposed the Confederacy by attempting to bring Texas back to the Union. After the war, Davis was a leader in reconstructing the state based on true free labor and pursued progressive and egalitarian policies as governor of Texas.
Through the entire reconstruction process Davis faced extreme Confederate hostility. After leaving the governor’s mansion an unpopular man and politician, he still remained dedicated to changing Texas. He worked to change his adopted state until the day he died.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780875654058
Publisher:	TCU Press
Publication date:	02/19/2010
Series:	The Texas Biography Series , #2
Edition description:	First Edition, 1
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

CARL H. MONEYHON is professor of history at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. A specialist on the Civil War and Reconstruction, much of his work focuses on the Texas experience. He's published Republicanism in Reconstruction Texas; Texas After the Civil War: The Struggle of Reconstruction; and Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of the Civil War in Texas. Moneyhon is a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association, holds degrees from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

 

Table of Contents

Editor's Foreword ix

Preface and Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1 A Southern Born Man 1

Chapter 2 Creation of a Texas Unionist, 1855-1862 25

Chapter 3 Civil War Service 45

Chapter 4 Postwar Unionist 73

Chapter 5 Unionism to Republicanism 95

Chapter 6 Davis and the Republican Schism: The Constitutional Convention of 1868-1869 113

Chapter 7 The Election of 1869 133

Chapter 8 The Future of Texas: The Legislative Program E. J. Davis 155

Chapter 9 The Fight against Lawlessness and Violence 179

Chapter 10 Texas Politics, and the Destiny of Republicanism Edmund Davis 201

Chapter 11 The Struggle for Political Survival: Searching for New Political Strategy and National Recognition 225

Chapter 12 A New Political Direction 253

Notes 275

Bibliography 313

Index 323

Editorial Reviews

Historian Carl H. Moneyhon has written a sympathetic biography of Davis.”

The Eagle - Glenn Dromgoole

[Davis] was a selfless idealist and valuable public servant, as biographer Moneyhon makes clear in this exceptional portrait.”

Roundup Magazine - Jon Chandler

Moneyhon’s book provides understanding of Davis’ life and influence.”

The Facts - Marie Beth Jones

Edmund J. Davis is a fine biography of a man shunned and dishonored by his state. . . . The author has searched and found records overlooked by many scholars. Perhaps the book could be called "revisionist history," but Moneyhon's work clearly  proves it couldn't happen to a better or more deserving subject.

Mexia News - Jerry Turner

Moneyhon, a leading and well-respected authority on Reconstruction in Texas, provides a revisionist portrait of Davis and situates his character and political philosophy at the heart of the narrative.  Moneyhon’s sympathetic portrayal duly resurrects Davis’s historical significance by painting him as a progressive visionary who did not cower before the state’s pro-Confederate elite…he portrays Davis as a man of integrity who was driven by duty, responsibility, and determination.”

Southwestern Historical Quarterly - Andrew Lang

Edmund J. Davis is a fine biography of a man shunned and dishonored by his state. . . . The author has searched and found records overlooked by many scholars. Perhaps the book could be called "revisionist history," but Moneyhon''s work clearly proves it couldn''t happen to a better or more deserving subject.

— Jerry Turner

Mexia News