Elisha M. Pease

Elisha Marshall Pease ( born January 3, 1812 in Enfield, Connecticut; † August 26, 1883 in Lampasas, Texas ) was an American politician and the 5th and the 14th Governor of Texas.

Pease was born in 1812 as son of Lorrain Thompson and Sarah (nee Marshall) Pease in Enfield. After studying at the Westfield Academy in Massachusetts, he worked as a clerk in a post office in Hartford. In 1834, he was looking for a new job in the West. Beginning of 1835 he made his way to Texas, where he settled down and begun his law studies continued in Connecticut led. In the same year he became secretary of a commission to defend the settlement Mina. A short time later, on 2 October of that year, he fought in the Battle of Gonzales, the first battle of the Tex- Mexican War. He then worked as a secretary in the Provisional Government and as such he wrote in 1836 a part of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. He then worked in the Ministry of Finance, completed his studies and was admitted to the bar in 1837.

In 1837 he declined the offer from Sam Houston to become head of the Postal Directorate. He settled in Brazoria as a lawyer, where he became renowned in short time and was successful. After the annexation of Texas by the United States, he was the representative of the Brazoria County for the first three legislative periods. On 21 December 1853 he was elected in 1855 as the successor of James Wilson Henderson Texas governor and again for another term. He remained in office until 21 December 1857. Hardin R. Runnels became his successor. From August 1867 to September 1869 he was again governor of Texas, succeeding James W. Throckmorton. After he retired from politics and opened a law practice in Austin, where he led a quiet and retired life with his wife Lucadia Christina, born in Niles, whom he had married in 1850, and her two daughters. During his tenure Pease led, inter alia, the public school system in Texas and the state university. In addition, he was responsible for the construction of the Austin State Hospital, a school for the deaf and a school for the blind.