William Luther Dean

Full Name: William Luther Dean
Date of birth: April 3, 1866
Date of death: July 14, 1933

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information
Legislation

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	15	Jan 9, 1917 - Jan 11, 1921	35th ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ 36th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾	Democrat	Huntsville / Walker	Senate President Pro Tempore (35th)	Grimes, Leon, Madison, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker
H	55	Jan 12, 1897 - Jan 10, 1899	25th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ ⁽⁸⁾	Democrat	Madisonville / Madison		Brazos, Madison

(1) 36th Legislature - Roll Call of Holdover Senators, 1/14/1919, p. 1. Senate Journal.
(2) Huntsville, Walker County. Senate Journal.
(3) 35th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, elected 8/6/1917, 2nd C.S., due to the extended absence of the President Pro Tem; and elected 8/31/1917, 3rd C.S. Senate Journal.
(4) 35th Legislature - Member-elect in List of State Senators Elected at the General Election Held November 7, 1916, oath of office administered, 1/9/1917, pp. 2-3. Senate Journal.
(5) Huntsville, Walker County. Senate Journal.
(6) Lived in Madisonville during House service in 25th Legislature. Texas Under Many Flags, 1930, Volume V, p. 134. (Created 10/19/2007.) HeritageQuest Online.
(7) Madison County. House Journal.
(8) Madisonville, Madison County. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.

Terms of Service top

Senate District 15
Jan 9, 1917 - Jan 11, 1921
Legislatures: 35th ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ 36th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾
Senate President Pro Tempore (35th)
(35th)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Huntsville / Walker
Counties in district: Grimes, Leon, Madison, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker

House District 55
Jan 12, 1897 - Jan 10, 1899
Legislatures: 25th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ ⁽⁸⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Madisonville / Madison
Counties in district: Brazos, Madison

Biographical Information top

Selected newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

43rd Legislature, 1st C.S., 9/19/1933, p. 52. Resolutions - Memorial.
43rd Legislature, 1st C.S., Senate Simple Resolution 14, 9/21/1933, p. 58. Resolutions - Memorial.

Biographical Sketches

Biographical sketch, William Luther Dean, Texas Under Many Flags, 1930, Volume V, p. 134. "After ten years in Madisonville, he removed to Huntsville . . . " (Created 10/19/2007.) HeritageQuest Online.
Biographical sketch, Senate of the 35th Legislature, "A Look at the Affairs of State: The Real Names and Addresses of Thirty-one Senators With Additional Facts," The Houston Post, 3/22/1917, p. 6. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).
Brief biographical sketch, W.L. Dean, p. 150. Born 4/3/1866 in Madison County. Texas State Government: A Volume of Biographical Sketches and Passing Comment, 25th Legislature, 1897.

Other Resources

William Luther Dean, born 1866 in Madisonville, Texas. Profile of law firm Dean, Humphrey & Powell, Huntsville, Texas, 1918 edition, p. 652. The American Bar: Contemporary Lawyers of the United States and Canada.
Listed in "Men who have represented Grimes County in the House of Representatives/State Senate, 1846-1931," pp. 205-209. Includes Date, Legislatures, District, and Source of Data. Early History of Grimes County, 1930.
W.L. Dean, birth date 4/3/1866 in Texas; death date 7/14/1933 in Huntsville, Walker County; lawyer. FamilySearch Texas Deaths, 1890-1976.
W.L. Dean, birth date 4/3/1866, death date 7/14/1933, burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Huntsville, Walker County. Includes obituary from The Orange Leader, 7/16/1933. Find a Grave.
Obituary, "Dean, Author of Texas Dry Law, Dies Suddenly," 7/15/1933, p. 1. Former State Senator, served as Representative in the 25th Legislature; author of the State dry law; presided at the impeachment trial of Governor James E. Ferguson.
Photo, "Funeral Held for W.L. Dean," 7/16/1933, p. 8. Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"In Texas, the state legislature adopted a similar measure for prohibition enforcement. Sponsored by W. Luther Dean of Huntsville, the Dean Law took effect in October 1919." Greene, Casey. "More Than a Thimbleful: Prohibition in Galveston, 1919-1933," vol. 111, no. 1 (1989), pp. 45-56. The Houston Review: History and Culture of the Gulf Coast.
Author of SB 143, 36th 2nd C.S. (1919), Relating to creating a statewide intoxicating liquor prohibition law. Legislative Reference Library.
Senator W. Luther Dean of Huntsville, author of "the famous all-dry Dean Law"; description of the provisions and penalties of the Dean Law, effective in October 1919. "The Struggle for Sobriety: Protestants and Prohibition in Texas: 1919-1935," Monograph No. 62 (1980), pp. 5-8. Southwestern Studies.
Historical marker, William Luther Dean, Huntsville, Walker County. Texas Historic Sites Atlas (Texas Historical Commission).

Photographs

Photograph. W.L. Dean, 36th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. W.L. Dean, 35th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. W.L. Dean, 25th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

35th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
36th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
25th session composite photo of House members (House chamber gallery, east wall. 3W.2). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

36th R.S. - 1919 Agricultural Affairs Civil Jurisprudence (Chair) Claims and Accounts Contingent Expense Educational Affairs Exterminating Pink Boll Worm, Investigate Finance (Vice Chair) Governor's Nominations Privileges and Elections State Penitentiaries
35th R.S. - 1917 Civil Jurisprudence Congressional Districts Constitutional Amendments Educational Affairs Finance Formulate the Rules of Procedure in the Trial Upon the Articles of Impeachment of Governor James B. Ferguson, Governor. (Chair) Insurance and Banking Judicial Districts State Penitentiaries Stock and Stock Raising
25th R.S. - 1897 A. & M. College Exercises, Special Agricultural & Mechanical College, Sam Houston Normal Institute and Prairie View Normal School, Special Enrolled Bills Finance Judicial Districts Roads, Bridges and Ferries

This website is a work in progress. Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.

Party information is not available for the 1st-11th Legislatures.

Have a question, comment or contribution? Email the Library or call 512-463-1252.

Many photos in Texas Legislators: Past and Present are used with permission of the Texas State Preservation Board. For permission to reproduce these photos, please contact the Texas State Preservation Board graphics coordinator at 512-475-3060.