FIRST -- Republican Speaker of the House, Austin TX
N 30° 16.260 W 097° 44.828
14R E 620511 N 3349479
The historic marker for Ira Hobart Evans, the first Republican elected Speaker of thr Texas House, in the garden of the Austin Woman's Club building on San Antonio Street in Austin TX
Waymark Code: WMTEP4
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/12/2016
Views: 0
The biographical historic marker for Ira Hobart Evans is located at 708 San Antonio Street in Austin TX, in a garden at the Austin Woman's Club.
The marker reads as follows:
"IRA HOBART EVANS
(April 11, 1844 - April 19, 1922)
Born in New Hampshire, Ira H.Evans grew up in Vermont. During the Civil War he served in the Union Army, attaining the rank of major. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor and in 1865 was a member of the Honor Guard for the funeral of President Lincoln.
Following the war, Evans was stationed in Texas along the Rio Grande until 1866. After his discharge from the Army in 1867, he returned to the area as an agent for The Freedmen's Bureau. He was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1869 and in 1870 was chosen Speaker of the house, the first Republican and youngest person to date to hold that office. He was removed as Speaker on May 10, 1871, in a dispute over interpretation of the 1869 state constitution.
Evans began a business career in 1872 and, as President of the New York & Texas Land Company, became a leader in Texas railroads and land development. He moved to Austin in 1885. Active in civic affairs, he served as President of the board of Tillotson College (now Huston-Tillotson College) from 1911 to 1920.
Evans bought this house in 1892 and hired noted architect Alfred Giles to remodel it to its current appearance. He moved to California in 1921 and, after his death in San Diego in 1922, was buried in Vermont. (1991)"
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1870
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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