John Henninger Reagan

He married three times in his life. He married Martha Music in 1844 and she died the following year. Seven years later, he married Edwina Moss Nelms with whom he had six children.

He married Molly Ford Taylor in 1866 three years after the death of his second wife. Through this marriage, he had five children, two of whom died before his death.

The Reagan County in Texas is named after him. Schools in Texas State like John H. Reagan Elementary School in Dallas and Reagan High Schools in Austin and Houston are named in his honor.

John Henninger Reagan was born on October 8, 1818 in Sevier County, Tennessee, as the eldest son of Timothy Richard and Elizabeth Reagan, who made their living by trading and farming. He had four brothers and one sister.

While he was 13, his mother died. He was thrust with the responsibility of taking care of his brothers and sister.

To support his family and to meet out his schooling expenses, he worked as a planter, tanner, supervisor and as a salesman. Simultaneously, he continued his law studies.

While he was 20, he moved to Texas with the hope of finding more employment opportunities. His search did not go in vain as his study of law gained him an entry to the bar.

In 1839, he moved to Texas and joined the army of Republic. He took part in the Cherokee War in which Chief Bowl, the leader of the Indians was killed and the Indians overthrown.

After the war, he worked as the deputy surveyor of public lands near Nacogdoches until 1843. Later, he became the justice of the peace and captain of a militia company in Nacogdoches.

He continued to study law and in 1846 after obtaining a temporary license, and started his office at Buffalo. Two years later, he gained admission to the bar and practised both in Palestine and Buffalo.

In 1847, he became a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Five years later he became the first judge of the Henderson County - the term extended for five years.

In 1857 he became the United States congressman representing the Democratic Party of the Eastern Texas. He later joined the secessionist and was elected to Secession Convention of Texas.

In 1861, he was appointed as the Postmaster General of Confederacy. Reagan made remarkable achievements in the economy of the States by implementing revision in the postal rate and improvising the mail delivery system.

In 1875, he became a member of the Constitutional body of the Texas State. The same year he won a seat to the U.S. House of Representatives and retained the position for 13 years.