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John Boyd
BornAugust 7, 1796
DiedMay 4, 1873
Occupation(s)settler, politician, philanthropist
SpouseElizabeth McLean
Relatives Linn Boyd (brother)

John Boyd ( August 7, 1796 – May 4, 1873) was an American settler and politician. He served as a Congressman for the Republic of Texas and as a member of the Texas Senate.

Early life

John Boyd was born on August 7, 1796, in Nashville, Tennessee. [1] [2] [3] His father was Abraham Boyd and his mother, Nancy Linn. [4] His brother, Linn Boyd, went on to serve as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1851 to 1855. [4]

Career

By 1835, Boyd settled in Sabine County, Texas, with his wife and children. [1] [2] He then served in the Texas Revolution. [2]

Boyd served as a member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845. [2] In 1845, he moved to Limestone County, Texas, where he staked a claim near the Tehuacana Hills, northwest of Tehuacana. [2]

From 1862 to 1863, Boyd served in the Texas Senate. [2] By then, he had become a secessionist, in favor of the Confederate States of America. [1] [2]

Boyd was also a landowner in Nashville. [5] He donated 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) of land as well as financial assistance for the establishment of Trinity University. [2]

Personal life, death and legacy

Boyd married Elizabeth McLean. [1] They had nine children, but only three reached adulthood. [1] He was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. [2]

Boyd died on May 4, 1873. [1] [3] After his death, the land he owned in Nashville, Tennessee was inherited by his granddaughter, Rachel Douglas Boyd Smiley, the wife of Senator Henry S. Foote. [5] They built a house, Old Central, which was later acquired by Vanderbilt University, on whose campus it still stands today. [5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cecil Harper, Jr., "BOYD, JOHN," Handbook of Texas Online ( http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbo59), accessed October 26, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Modified on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Biographical Directory of the Texan Conventions and Congresses, 1832-1845, 1942. , pp. 54-55 [1]
  3. ^ a b Legislative Reference Library: Texas Legislators: Past & Present: John Boyd
  4. ^ a b Judge Prestley Kettedge Ewing and Mary Ellen (Williams) Ewing, The Ewing genealogy with cognate branches: a survey of the Ewings and their kin in America
  5. ^ a b c Carey, Bill (April 8, 2002). "Old Central built by former governor who slugged Jefferson Davis". Vanderbilt Register. Archived from the original on November 15, 2002. Retrieved November 5, 2015.