Sam Houston was chosen one of the two first United States senators to represent the new state. Among those whom the historian of Texas writes should be held in grateful remembrance for what they have done for Texas are: Sam Houston, David Crockett, Patrick C. Jack, Thomas William Ward, Robert C. Wallace, Henry W. Karnes, John Forbes, James Power, John McMullen, Patrick McGloin, Francis Moore, Thomas McKinney, Holland McKinney, Jesse Grimes and John H. Moore.
The outbreak of the Mexican War, which followed annexation, furnished opportunity to settle old scores, and here Irish names galore appear, battling in a contest which was to extend still farther the boundaries of the United States. Their history, however, more properly belongs to the nation than the state. Many of those mentioned heretofore, surviving the contests with the Indians and the Mexicans, participated in the Mexican War, and with them many of their kindred of Irish origin,—men like General William S. Harney, the immortal Phil Kearney, who fell at Chantilly; Commodore Kearney, Maj. Andrew McReynolds, a native of historic Dungannon, and a schoolmate of Gen. James Shields, and who, like Shields, lived to take part in the Civil War, being a major-general in the Union army; and many others.
Among the signers of the Texan secession ordinance were: Lewis F. Casey, Lewis W., Thomas and Burns C. Moore, Thomas McCraw, T. C. Neal, Thomas J. Devine, Edward Dougherty, John N. Fall, John H. Feeney, John Ireland, W. C. Kelly, J. R. Hayes, W. N. Neyland, D. M. Pendergast, John H. Reagan, W. T. Scott and J. S. Lester. John H. Reagan became postmaster-general of the Southern Confederacy, and T. J. Devine took a prominent part in public affairs during the Civil War.
Among the Texans who distinguished themselves in that war in the Confederate army were: Col. James Bowland, Maj. Joseph A. Carroll, Gen. Lawrence Sullivan Ross; Colonels: Hugh McLoud, James E. McCord, James Duff, John C. Burke, James Reilly, Harry McNeill, W. H. Griffin, F. I. Malone; Majors: John Ireland and Thomas Flynn, and Gen. John D. McAdoo.
James W. Flannigan was the first lieutenant-governor of Texas elected under the reconstruction period, November, 1869. Later, James W. Flannigan was elected United States senator. Webster Flannigan was president of the state senate in 1871, and Guy M. Bryan speaker of the house in 1874.
John H. Reagan was chosen United States senator in 1887. Among the representatives chosen since the Civil War to congress were: John C. Conner, W. P. McLean, W. H. Martin, L. W. Moore and Silas Hare.
S. B. Donley was one of the judges of the supreme court in 1867, and associated later with him was John D. McAdoo. On the reorganization of the supreme court in 1874, George F. Moore, Thomas J. Devine, and, later, John Ireland were appointed judges of the supreme court. John Ireland was elected governor in 1882, serving two terms. He was succeeded by Gen. Lawrence Sullivan Ross, who also served the same number of years.
Father Timon was the first priest to say mass in the new towns of Galveston, Houston and Austin, in 1838. He did not remain in Texas. A year later Fathers Joseph Hayden and Edward A. Clarke came from Bardstown, Kentucky, to minister to the Catholics, who were numerous in Lavaca county, and many of whom came from Missouri, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Father Hayden also attended to the spiritual wants of the Catholics in Refugio and San Patricio, and the other settlements in the coast country. He died less than two years after his arrival. Father Clarke labored in Texas for eighteen years, dying in Houston. Rev. John Murray Odin was ordained bishop of Galveston in 1847. In 1893 there were three Catholic bishops, namely: Gallagher of Galveston, Nerez of San Antonio, and Brennan of Dallas. Rev. Daniel Carl, Rev. A. Rourk and Rev. Andrew McGowan were Methodist clergymen laboring in Texas in 1837.
Dr. Francis Moore was one of the proprietors of the Telegraph and Texas Register in 1837; Martin Carroll Wing was assistant editor of the Texas Sentinel in 1840; and Michael Cronican was one of the proprietors of the National Register. B. F. Neill was one of the founders of the Galveston News in 1842, and John D. Logan of the Texan Advocate. Robert Loughery in 1848 established the Texas Republican.