R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, Matthew Gaines of Washington County, state senator
 1-2     and Baptist minister, was one of the foremost African American
 1-3     leaders in Texas during the second half of the 19th century; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Born August 4, 1840, to a slave mother in Louisiana,
 1-5     Mr. Gaines settled in Burton, Texas, following Emancipation; he
 1-6     quickly rose to prominence as a politician and minister, and in
 1-7     1869 he won a seat in the state senate, where he represented
 1-8     Washington County in the 12th and 13th legislatures; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, During his term of office, Mr. Gaines worked for
1-10     many progressive measures; he supported and voted for a successful
1-11     bill establishing a tax-supported public school system for all
1-12     Texans, and he worked and voted for the successful enabling
1-13     legislation that made possible the creation of Texas A&M University
1-14     in 1871 and Prairie View A&M University in 1876; he further sought
1-15     to advance education by sponsoring a successful bill to exempt
1-16     educational, religious, charitable, and literary associations from
1-17     taxation; and
1-18           WHEREAS, A vigorous champion of African American interests,
1-19     he worked unrelentingly for the militia bill in order to provide
1-20     protection for blacks at the polling places; after the measure
1-21     passed, he sought, without success, to secure the election of an
1-22     African American to the U.S. House of Representatives; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Mr. Gaines passed a bill authorizing his district to
1-24     levy a special tax for the construction of a new jail, in order to
 2-1     protect newly freed slaves from mob violence, and he proposed an
 2-2     unsuccessful bill that would have given tenant farmers, most of
 2-3     whom were black, the first lien on their crops; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, In consequence of his activities, Mr. Gaines
 2-5     received numerous death threats and faced many attempts to smear
 2-6     his reputation; the political maneuvering of his enemies and the
 2-7     end of Reconstruction resulted in his ouster from the senate after
 2-8     only four years, but he continued to be active in politics and to
 2-9     speak out in many forums until his death in 1900; and
2-10           WHEREAS, Mr. Gaines was a courageous advocate for genuine
2-11     democracy and for the rights  and interests of African Americans,
2-12     and the descendants of this remarkable Texan, who still live in the
2-13     vicinity of Washington County, have continued to contribute to and
2-14     enrich their community; now, therefore, be it
2-15           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-16     Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Matthew
2-17     Gaines for his exceptional public service; and, be it further
2-18           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-19     prepared for the descendants of Mr. Gaines as an expression of high
2-20     regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
                                                                   Kolkhorst
                                             _______________________________
                                                   Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.R. No. 753 was unanimously adopted by a
         rising vote of the House on April 17, 2001.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House