Reinhard Hillebrand Explained

Reinhard Hillebrand
State Senate:Texas
District:26th
Term Start:January 17, 1871
Term End:January 14, 1873
Preceded:E.L. Alford
Succeeded:Joseph D. Sayers
Office1:County Judge of Fayette County
Term Start1:1869
Term End1:1870
Birth Name:Reinhard Hillebrandt
Birth Date:10 March 1810
Birth Place:Germany
Death Place:Fayette County, Texas, U.S.
Party:Republican
Otherparty:Radical Republican
Spouse:Widowed
Children:2 sons
Residence:Fayette County, Texas
Occupation:Farmer

Reinhard Hillebrand (March 10, 1810 – September 13, 1887) was a German American politician and soldier that served in the Texas Senate for District 26. He was a Radical Republican.

Early life and military background

Reinhard Hillebrand was born on March 10, 1810, in Germany. While living in Germany, Hillebrand participated in the 1848 revolutions. In the 1850s, he immigrated to the United States, settling in Fayette County, Texas. During the Civil War, Hillebrand organized the Rutersville German Company, which was a company of volunteer infantry soldiers. Such companies had been supported by the Texas legislature during the time. Despite organizing troops, in 1863, Hillebrand was involved in anti-conscription efforts that led to his arrest and imprisonment for treason by the Confederate military.

Political career

Hillebrand was elected to be county judge of Fayette County in 1869; he served for one year before leaving to run for the Texas Senate after E.L. Alford had been banished from the Texas Senate and the Republican Party. Hillebrand won his seat in a special election to represent Texas Senate, District 26. He was a Radical Republican who opposed business subsidies and was scandalously associated with black voters.[1] [2]

Later life and death

The 1880 United States Census labeled Hillebrand as a widowed farmer who lived in Fayette County. Hillebrand died on September 13, 1887[3] after being thrown from his horse-drawn buggy in Fayette County; the La Grange Journal reported he succumbed to his injuries roughly 24-hours after the accident while The Dallas Morning News reported his death to be instant. Hillebrand's had already left his will to his two sons; he was buried at Hillebrand Family Cemetery located near Park, Texas.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Legislative Reference Library Legislators and Leaders Texas Legislators: Past & Present . lrl.texas.gov . 29 November 2019.
  2. Book: Spaw . Patsy McDonald . The Texas Senate: Civil War to the Eve of Reform, 1861-1889 . Texas A&M University Press . 29 November 2019 . en . 1990. 9780890968574 .
  3. Web site: Legislative Reference Library Legislators and Leaders Member profile . lrl.texas.gov . 29 November 2019.