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James Stephen "Jim" Hogg (March 24, 1851-March 3, 1906 was a Texas lawyer and statesman, and the first native to become Governor of Texas. Hogg is often remembered for naming his daughter Ima Hogg, an odd name which derived from a poem written by James' brother. That "Miss Ima," as she was known throughout her lifetime, had a sister named "Ura" is an unfortunate but persistent fiction.
Hogg was a follower of the conservative New South Creed which became popular following the U.S. Civil War, however he was also associated with populism.
Biography
Orphan on both sides by 1863, young Jim and his siblings had to run the Hogg family plantation. In 1866, Hogg went to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to study. Upon returning to Texas, he became a typesetter of Andrew Jackson's newspaper.
Eventually, the Hogg family's fortune went away as a direct consequence of Hogg's mother and father's deaths. The Hogg estate had to be sold, and Jim and his brothers decided to work for the law.
While helping the sheriff at Quitman, Hogg survived an attack from which he suffered a gun shot to his back. Later on, he became a newspaper editor in the area, using his publications to oppose trains and Ulysses S. Grant, among other topics and persons.
In 1873, Hogg was named Justice of Peace at Quitman, a position that he kept until 1875, partly because of personal reasons: he had become a lawyer and married Ms. Sally Stinson. In 1876, he was defeated by John S. Griffith during a race for a seat on the Texas house of legislature.
In 1878, Hogg regained political status when he was elected Wood County's attorney, and he went on to serve from 1880 to 1884 as Texas' seventh district's attorney. While district attorney, Hogg personally saw communities that had become ghost towns when railroads passed them by. He also witnessed a major strike by rail workers and a number of corruption scandals in the railroad industry. Reforming the railroads would become one of his priorities as he later gained political power.
Hogg was not racist, which was a rarity among White Southeners of his era. Because of this, he was one of the responsibles for making Smith County a Democratic strong-hold during that year's elections, as he helped convince Blacks vote for the Democratic party. He later on was offered a seat in congress, but he declined, choosing instead to stay close to his family and practice as a lawyer in Tyler.
In 1886, Hogg was convinced to run for the position of state attorney general. He was elected, and then, he proceeded to become an important figure in Texas' economical growth, recovering much land for the state, helping Washington, DC justice to write the second state antitrust law in the nation and regaining control of the East Line and Red River Railroad. In 1888 Hogg sued the rail companies for attempting to create a monopoly, among other charges. Hogg won, defeating the powerful rail baron Jay Gould and creating for himself a name in Texas politics. In 1890, Hogg ran for governor on the platform of establishing a Railroad Commission for the state. He won, and took office the next year.
In the Governor's office, Hogg created the powerful position of Railroad Commissioner and passed a major land reform law that forced corporations to sell their land to the public within fifteen years. He worked to encourage investment in Texas through frequent trips east. He sought to eliminate the influence of corporations and lobbying groups in Texas and to clean the government of nepotism and graft. He supported Texas's common schools, the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, providing them with substantially increased public funding and his personal philanthropy.
Hogg's wife died in 1895, after which he stepped down from the position of governor. Disencouraged to go on as a public figure, he invited his sister, Martha Frances Davis, to his house so that she could take care of his children while he ran a private law office. Hogg did so well economically as a lawyer, that he built a second Hogg family fortune and was able to help the University of Texas as well as various Texan cities with monetary presents.
After his governorship ended, he retired from public office but not from political life. He continued to work against the government corruption he believed was at the center of public woes. He spoke on behalf of William Jennings Bryan in Tammany Hall in 1896 and 1900. Hogg also became interested in the idea of what became the Panama Canal; having done real well as an oil investor, Hogg had interest for a shipping route to open between Texas and South America, as well as between Texas and Asia. On April 19, 1900, he gave a speech in Waco, where he said the now legendary words: "Let us have Texas, the Empire State, (be) governed by the people, not Texas, the truckpatch, ruled by corporate lobbyists". He moved to Houston, Texas and started a new practice there that he continued at until the end of his life.
Hogg did a business trip to England, and then, he returned to Texas, setting in Houston, where he ran a law firm. On April 5, 1905, he spoke at a banquet that was especially prepapred to honor President Theodore Roosevelt. Later on, he was invited to make a speech at the World's Fair in Dallas, but he felt ill the day of the speech and had to stay in his hotel room. This was the beginning of a long illness that confined him mainly to his bed.
Nevertheless, he used his experience as a publisher to write many, well known letters in which he indicated what aspects of society he agreed or disagreed with. Finally, on March 3, 1906, he passed away while staying at a friend's house.
Jim Hogg County, Texas is named after him.
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