Nathan H. Haller
Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born into slavery in Charleston, South Carolina on July 8, 1840, Nathan H. Haller was a Texas political leader, serving in the 23rd and 24th Texas Legislatures in the House of Representatives. Haller was brought to Walker County by his enslaver. After Emancipation, Haller operated a local farm and became active in Republican politics and served as county commissioner. Haller married Paralee Jordan of Huntsville, and the couple had two children: Jackson and James. After Paralee died, he married Annie Butcher, and they had three children: Joseph, Munroe and Jemmima. By 1892, Haller moved his family to a farm in Brazoria County, remaining active in local politics. Voters elected him to the 23rd Texas Legislature, representing Brazoria and Matagorda Counties in the 40th district. Haller served as Brazoria County’s first black legislator. Two years later, he was reelected to the same seat after the House Committee on Privileges and Elections ruled in Haller’s favor in a contested election. Haller was appointed to the Roads, Bridges and Ferries; Labor; and Penitentiaries Committees. In 1893, Haller authored House Bill 469, seeking to establish a branch of the University of Texas for black students. After his second term, he moved to Houston’s Third Ward. He was working as a wagon driver in 1910. He died on February 27, 1917, and was buried in Houston’s College Park Cemetery with surviving family members residing in Angleton and Houston. Haller and colleague R.L. Smith were the last African Americans elected to the Texas Legislature until 1966.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born into slavery in Charleston in 1840 and brought to Texas by his enslaver, Nathan H. Haller rose after emancipation to become a farmer, county commissioner, and Republican political leader. Elected to the 23rd and 24th Texas Legislatures in the 1890s, he was Brazoria County's first Black legislator and authored a bill to establish a branch of the University of Texas for Black students. He and his colleague R. L. Smith were the last African Americans elected to the Texas Legislature until 1966, as the disfranchisement of the Jim Crow era closed the door behind them.
Why it matters
Haller's career marks both the brief promise of Black political power after the Civil War and its long suppression, embodying a struggle for representation that would not be renewed for seven decades.
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Related people
- · Nathan H. Haller
- · R. L. Smith
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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