Houston Bar Association
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Members of the legal profession began practicing in Houston in 1837, one year after Texas gained its independence from Mexico and became a Republic. The earliest evidence of organization among the city's attorneys dates to 1870, when the original Houston Bar Association was formed. Judge Peter W. Gray was elected president of the association, whose objectives were to raise the standards of the legal profession and to purchase a law library. The organization was short-lived, however, and no records concerning its activity have been found. In 1901, fifty-three attorneys joined together to form the Harris County Bar Association, but it too ceased to exist after a few years. The present Houston Bar Association was formed on March 26, 1904. Among its early accomplishments was a campaign to build the 1910 Harris County Courthouse (present Harris County Civil Courts building) and the establishment of the Harris County Law Library in 1915. Throughout its history, the Houston Bar Association has supported programs to serve the community, including legal services to the indigent, legal education, lawyer referral services, legal publications, and other volunteer projects.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Lawyers began practicing in Houston in 1837, just a year after Texas won independence, and by 1870 they formed an early bar association under Judge Peter W. Gray to raise professional standards and build a law library. That group and a 1901 successor both faded quickly, but the present Houston Bar Association, organized in 1904, took hold. Its early work included campaigning for the 1910 Harris County Courthouse and founding the county law library in 1915.
Why it matters
The bar's long effort to organize reflects how a frontier boomtown matured into a city of institutions, professional standards, and public legal service.
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Related people
- · Judge Peter W. Gray
Themes & tags
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