Thomas Reuben Bonner
Full Name: Thomas Reuben BonnerDate of birth: September 11, 1838
Date of death: August 30, 1891
Terms of Service top
| Chamber | District | Dates of Service | Legislatures | Party | City/County | Note | Counties in District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | 15 | Apr 18, 1876 - Jan 14, 1879 | 15th | Democrat | Tyler / Smith | Speaker | Smith |
| H | 12 | Aug 6, 1866 - Feb 7, 1870 | 11th (1) (2) | Rusk / Cherokee | Cherokee |
(1) In 1866 Bonner had represented Cherokee County in the Texas legislature . . . [he] impressed his colleagues with his loyalty to the Democratic party." American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910, 1989.
(2) Roster of 11th Legislature, House of Representatives, "Texas Legislative Proceedings," 8/11/1866, p. 1. Galveston Daily News.
Terms of Service top
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House District 15
Apr 18, 1876 - Jan 14, 1879 Legislatures: 15th Speaker Party: Democrat Home City/County: Tyler / Smith Counties in district: Smith |
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House District 12
Aug 6, 1866 - Feb 7, 1870 Legislatures: 11th (1) (2) Home City/County: Rusk / Cherokee Counties in district: Cherokee |
(1) In 1866 Bonner had represented Cherokee County in the Texas legislature . . . [he] impressed his colleagues with his loyalty to the Democratic party." American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910, 1989.
(2) Roster of 11th Legislature, House of Representatives, "Texas Legislative Proceedings," 8/11/1866, p. 1. Galveston Daily News.
Biographical Information top
Resolutions and Journal entries
- Presentation of cane to Speaker from members of the House of Representatives, 15th Legislature, 8/21/1876, pp. 992-995. House Journal.
Biographical Sketches
- Biographical sketch. American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910, 1989.
- Mentioned in Chapter XIIL, p. 84, Thomas R. Bonner. "In either 1876 or 1878, I am not sure which, probably the earlier year, Thomas R. Bonner of Tyler, Smith County, was Speaker of the House. He was a man of ability, and impressive appearance, and a very accomplished parliamentarian, and elegant gentleman." Governors Who Have Been, and Other Public Men of Texas, 1921.
- BONNER, THOMAS REUBEN (1838-1891). Handbook of Texas Online.
- Col. Thomas R. Bonner, mentioned in biographical sketch of brother Micajah H. Bonner, p. 652. "The other members of the firm of Bonner & Bonner were F. W. Bonner, Col. Thomas R. Bonner, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Fifteenth Legislature. . ." Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, 1890.
- 24th Speaker of the House of Representatives: Thomas Reuben Bonner. Photo and biographical sketch. Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-2016, 2016.
- Biographical sketch, pp. 75-77. Sketches of Legislators and State Officers, Fifteenth Legislature, 1876-1878, 1876.
Military Service Notes
- Confederate States Army, Colonel, William B. Ochiltree's 18th Texas Infantry. "He entered Confederate service in April 1862 as captain, Company C, of Col. William B. Ochiltree's Eighteenth Texas Infantry. He was subsequently major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel of that regiment, which served in the Trans-Mississippi Department as an element of Walker's Texas Division." Handbook of Texas Online.
- Biographical sketch, p. 74. Texans Who Wore the Gray, 1907.
- Thomas Reuben Bonner. Texas Burial Sites of Civil War Notables: A Biographical and Pictorial Field Guide, 2002.
Other Resources
- Thomas R. Bonner, birth date 9/11/1838, death date 8/30/1891, portrait, burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Tyler, Smith County. Find a Grave.
- Listed in "Smith County and Seventh Senatorial District Legislators, 1st—16th Regular Sessions, 1846-1879," The Tyler Journal, 5/29/1936, p. 67, crediting Smith County Historical Society. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).
- Obituary and drawing, "Thomas R. Bonner Dead," The Galveston Daily News, 8/31/1891, p. 2, crediting Abilene Library Consortium. Death date 8/30/1891 in Tyler. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).
Photographs
- Photograph. T.R. Bonner, 15th Legislature, State Preservation Board
- Photograph. T.R. Bonner, 11th Legislature, State Preservation Board
- Photograph. Thomas Reuben Bonner, Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-2006
Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol
- 11th session composite photo of House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, south wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
- 15th session composite photo of House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
Committee Information top
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11th R.S. - 1866
Jefferson Davis, Petition to Release, Select Judicial Districts, Select Judiciary State Affairs |
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