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A.J. Fountain
Full Name: Albert Jennings Fountain
Other surnames:
Jennings
Date of birth: October 23, 1838
Date of death: February 1, 1896
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Terms of Service top
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| Chamber |
District |
Dates of Service |
Legislatures |
Party |
City/County |
Note |
Counties in District |
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S
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30
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Feb 8, 1870 - Jan 13, 1874
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12th
(4)
(5)
(6)
13th
(1)
(2)
(3)
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Radical Republican
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El Paso / El Paso
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Senate President Pro Tempore (12th)
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Atascosa, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, El Paso, Frio, Hidalgo, Karnes, Kinney, La Salle, Live Oak, McMullen, Maverick, Medina, Nueces, Presidio, Starr, Uvalde, Webb, Zapata, Zavala, Encinal
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(1)
Entire Senate went up for reelection due to Senatorial redistricting. Act passed Apr. 24, 1873 [presented to Governor May 1, 1873 and became law without his signature], 13th Legislature, R.S., ch. 35,
Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950, 1950.
(2)
Republican.
Directory of the Members of the Thirteenth Legislature of the State of Texas, 1873.
(3)
"Returning radicals [to the 13th Legislature] were Thomas H. Baker, Webster Flanagan, S.W. Ford, Albert J. Fountain, Matthew Gaines, Phidello W. Hall, Henry Rawson, George T. Ruby, William A. Saylor, and Robert P. Tendick," p. 145.
The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889, 1999.
(4)
12th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, Adjourned Session (Webster Flanagan and Albert J. Fountain).
Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
(5)
12th Legislature, 1st C.S. - Drawing for Terms of Office, 5/2/1870, pp. 51-52. Drew 4-year term.
Senate Journal.
(6)
12th Legislature, Regular Session - Senate President Pro Tempore, elected 3/30/1871, Regular Session, due to the vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Governor and the absence of the President Pro Tem.
Senate Journal.
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Biographical Notes and Resources top
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| Biographical Sketches |
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Photo and biographical sketch, "Lawyer of Billy the Kid."
Billy the Kid: Outlaw Legend.
Photos and biographical sketch; burial in the Masonic Cemetery, Las Cruces, New Mexico; birth date 10/23/1838; death date 2/1/1896.
Find a Grave.
FOUNTAIN, ALBERT JENNINGS (1838-1896). "Fountain advocated 'militant Republicanism' during the Reconstruction of Texas."
Handbook of Texas Online.
Biographical sketch, member of the legislature, pp. 98-99, became unpopular and accused of fraud, impact on El Paso, pp. 100-110.
The Legal Heritage of El Paso, 1963.
Biography in LRL collection,
Life and Death of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, 1965.
Biographical sketch, pp. 100-102, includes an account of a former political ally's attempt to murder Fountain. Notes "he [Fountain] served as president pro tempore for a time during the spring of 1871 while acting president Campbell was ill."
The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889, 1999.
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| Other Resources |
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Account of the disappearance of A.J. Fountain and his son Henry, "Murders Most Foul" by Jay W. Sharp. A prominent attorney, Fountain became known for his defense of Billy the Kid.
Desert USA, 1996.
Mentioned in HOWARD, CHARLES H. (1842-1877). In El Paso, Howard allied himself with Louis Cardis and Father Antonio Borrajo against the Radical Republicans and the "Anti-Salt Ring" led by Albert Jennings Fountain.
Handbook of Texas Online.
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| Photographs |
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Photograph.
A.J. Fountain, 13th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph.
A.J. Fountain, 13th Legislature, DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Collection.
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| Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol |
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13th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
Pictorial Monogram of the State Government of Texas 1873 (DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Collection). DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Collection..
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