Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	20	Jan 9, 1883 - Jan 11, 1887	19th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ 18th ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ 19th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾	Democrat	Weatherford / Parker	Senate President Pro Tempore (19th)	Jack, Parker, Tarrant, Wise
S	23	Jan 14, 1879 - Jan 9, 1883	16th ⁽⁷⁾ ⁽⁸⁾ 17th ⁽⁵⁾ ⁽⁶⁾	Democrat	Weatherford / Parker		Clay, Jack, Montague, Parker, Tarrant, Wise, Young
S	20	Aug 6, 1866 - Feb 7, 1870	11th ⁽⁹⁾ ⁽¹⁰⁾ ⁽¹¹⁾		Buchanan / Johnson		Erath, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant
H	42	May 4, 1864 - Aug 6, 1866	10th ⁽¹²⁾		Cleburne / Johnson		Ellis, Johnson, Parker
H	44	Nov 7, 1859 - Nov 4, 1861	8th		Buchanan / Johnson		Ellis, Tarrant
H	44	Nov 2, 1857 - Nov 7, 1859	7th ⁽¹³⁾		Buchanan / Johnson		Ellis, Tarrant

(1) 19th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, elected 1/13/1885, Regular Session. Senate Journal.
(2) Democrat, p. 163. Burke's Texas Almanac and Immigrants' Handbook for 1885, 1885.
(3) Democrat. Pocket Directory of the Eighteenth Legislature of Texas, 1883.
(4) 18th Legislature, Regular Session - All Senators except District 3 and 21 are listed in Roll Call as taking the oath of office, 1/9/1883, p. 2; resolution by Sen. Gooch that the Senators shall now be divided by lot into two classes, 1/10/1883, pp. 5-6; drew term of 4 years. Senate Journal. January 10, 1883 January 9, 1883
(5) Democrat, 11/17/1880, p. 2. Galveston Daily News.
(6) Democrat. Pocket Directory of the Seventeenth Legislature of Texas, 1881.
(7) Democrat, 1/14/1879, p. 1. Galveston Daily News.
(8) 16th Legislature, Regular Session - Roll call of newly elected Senators, oath of office administered, 1/14/1879, p. 3. Senate Journal.
(9) 11th Legislature - All 33 Senate districts listed in roll call presenting credentials, oath of office administered, 8/6/1866, pp. 2, 4-5. Senate Journal.
(10) Constitution of 1866, Article III, §§ 29, 30, retained the apportionment of 1860 for Senatorial districts. Texas Constitutions Digitization Project (Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin), 2009.
(11) Entire Senate went up for reelection - Constitution of 1869, Article III, § 39. Texas Constitutions Digitization Project (Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin), 2009.
(12) William R. Shannon, in special election 5/4/1864, succeeded John H. Prince, died 4/18/1864. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
(13) Democrat. Civilian and Gazette. Weekly. (Galveston, Texas), 9/8/1857, p. 2, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).

Biographical Notes and Resources top

Resolutions and Journal entries

Member roster, 11th Legislature, Regular Session: W.R. Shannon, Buchanan, Johnson County, nativity Kentucky, lawyer, age 40 in 1866 (born circa 1826). Senate Journal.

Biographical Sketches

SHANNON, WILLIAM RUSSELL (1825-1910). Handbook of Texas Online.
Biographical sketch, Historical Sketch of Parker County and Weatherford Texas. Born in Kentucky in 1825. HeritageQuest Online.
Biographical sketch, W.R. Shannon, p. 90. Born 1/15/1828 in Lexington, Kentucky. Personnel of the Texas State Government for 1885, 19th Legislature, 1885.
Biographical sketch and portrait. Texas Album of the Eighth Legislature, 1860.
Biographical sketch, William Russell Shannon, pp. 246-247. Born in 1828. Roster lists age as 50. Texas Legislative Manual, 1879-80, 1879.
Biographical sketch, William Russell Shannon, p. 243. Born in 1828. Texas Legislative Manual, 1882-83, 1883.
Biographical sketches, William Russell Shannon. Relatives: George Ross Shannon and William R. Shannon - brothers, p. 112. The Texas Senate: Volume II, Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889, 1999. 11th Legislature, p. 61 16th Legislature, p. 255 Brothers Shannon, p. 112

Military Service Notes

Volunteer, Mexican War. Confederate States Army, Captain, 10th Texas Infantry, and Captain, Rock Creek Guards, eventually absorbed into Parson's Brigade. Handbook of Texas Online.

Other Resources

William Russell Shannon grave marker photo, birth date 1/15/1825, death date 6/17/1910. Ancestry.com.
William R. Shannon, birth date 1/15/1825, death date 6/17/1910, burial in North Selma Cemetery, Selma, Fresno County, California. Contains photographs, biography. Find a Grave.

Photographs

Photograph. W.R. Shannon, 19th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. W.R. Shannon, 18th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. W.R. Shannon, 17th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. W.R. Shannon, 11th Legislature, By the Austin Photograph Co., Prints and Photographs Collection, [identifier number: di_03923, di_03924], The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Photograph. Wm. R. Shannon, 8th Legislature, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Photograph. Wm. R. Shannon, 8th Legislature, Texas Album of the Eighth Legislature

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

17th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber vestibule, west wall. 2E.V1). State Preservation Board.
18th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber vestibule, east wall. 2E.V1). State Preservation Board.
19th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber vestibule, east wall. 2E.V1). State Preservation Board.
11th session composite photo of Senate members (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History). By the Austin Photograph Co., Prints and Photographs Collection, [identifier number: di_03923, di_03924], The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
17th session composite photo of Senate members (Texas State Library and Archives Commission). Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Committee Information top

19th R.S. - 1885 Capitol Contract (Co-Chair) Education Federal Relations Finance Frontier Protection Internal Improvements (Chair) Judiciary No. 1 Laying the Cornerstone of the New Capitol (Co-Chair) Military Affairs Public Lands Retrenchment and Reform Stock and Stockraising
18th R.S. - 1883 Comptroller's Books and Records on Common School Bonds Constitutional Amendments Address Federal Relations Frontier Protection Internal Improvements (Chair) Judiciary No. 1 Lunatic Asylum Military Affairs Public Lands Retrenchment and Reform Stock and Stockraising
17th R.S. - 1881 Agricultural and Mechanical College and State Normal Schools, Visit Congressional Districts Congressional Districts, Apportionment Constitutional Amendments Counties and County Boundaries Educational Affairs Frontier Protection General Land Office Internal Improvements (Chair) Judicial Districts Judiciary No. 1 Military Affairs Privileges and Elections State Indebtedness Stock and Stock Raising
16th R.S. - 1879 Agricultural and Mechanical College, Consider Report of the Joint Committee Appointed to Visit Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expenses Federal Relations General Land Office Indian Affairs and Frontier Protection Internal Improvements (Chair) Judicial Districts (Chair) Judiciary No. 1 Military Affairs New Judiciary Article to the Constitution Public Claims and Accounts Retrenchment and Reform Stock and Stock Raising
11th R.S. - 1866 Finance General Land Office, Select (Co-Chair) Indian Affairs (Chair) Judicial Districts, Select Militia Southern States, Draft Resolutions Expressive of Sympathy to
8th R.S. - 1859 Court of Claims Enrolled Bills Indian Affairs Indian Difficulties on Frontier Joint Indian Affairs Judicial Districts Private Land Claims (Chair) Public Lands
7th R.S. - 1857 Judicial Districts Land Office Land or Money Claims Recommended by Court of Claims Petition of Citizens on the Frontier, Relative to Indian Depredations Private Land Claims Public Lands San Saba County, Memorials Regarding Indian Depredations

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