Walter Moses Burton
Richmond, Fort Bend County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(August 9, 1840 - June 4, 1913) Born a slave in North Carolina, Walter Moses Burton was brought to Texas about 1860. At the end of the Civil War, he purchased land from his former owner, Thomas B. Burton, from whom he had also learned to read and write. Walter Burton became a successful farmer and in 1869 was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1873 and served four terms, representing Fort Bend, Wharton, Waller, and Austin counties. Retiring from the Senate in 1882, he returned to farming and remained active in local politics until his death. (1992)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born into slavery in North Carolina in 1840 and brought to Texas around 1860, Walter Moses Burton learned to read and write from his enslaver and, after emancipation, bought land from that same man. He became a successful farmer and in 1869 was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County; in 1873 he won a seat in the Texas Senate, serving four terms for a multi-county district before returning to farming and local politics.
Why it matters
Burton was among the first African American state senators in Texas, embodying the brief, hard-won political power Black Americans exercised during Reconstruction.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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