THE  Senator  from  Guadalupe,  Hon.  W.  H.  Burges,  is  a
native  of  Tennessee  ;  born  in  Madison  county,  January
8, 1838,  and  was  chiefly  educated  in  his  native  State.  He  has
been  in  Texas  thirty-two  years.  His  legal  education  was
acquired  at  the  Law  Department  of  the  University  of  the
State  of  Louisiana.  He  is  a  lawyer,  and  has  been  successful
in  securing  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.
At  the  time  that  Judge  John  Ireland  was  elected  the  Chief
Magistrate  of  the  State  of  Texas,  Mr.  Burges  was  a  member
of  the  law  firm  of  Ireland  &  Burges,  of  Seguin,  Texas.
During  the  war  between  the  States  he  rendered  four  years'
service  as  a  soldier  in  the  famous  Hood's  Brigade,  partipa-
ted  in  most  of  the  engagements  led  by  that  officer,  and  was
seriously  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg.
Mr.  Burges  began  public  life  as  county  attorney  of  Gua-
dalupe county,  and  served  with  credit  to  himself  and  the
people.  Afterward  he  was  elected  district  attorney.  In
1876  he  was  a  Democratic  elector  on  the  presidential  ticket
in  the  State  of  Texas.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Bound-
ary Commission,  having  in  charge  the  investigation  and  es-
tablishment of  the  Greer  county  lines.  He  has  been  twice
•State  Senator — his  first  service  having  been  rendered  in  the
Seventeenth  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Texas.  He  was
elected  to  the  Twentieth  Legislature  as  Senator  from  the
Twenty-fifth  district  in  November,  1886,  by  a  majority  of  4951
votes.  He  has  maintained  a  consistent  and  rising  course  in
his  legislative  work,  and  manifests  a  deep  concern  in  the
great  measures  brought  before  the  Senate.  His  district  is

o  o

composed   of  Hays,  Guadalupe,   Blanco,  Kendall,   Comal,
Caldwell  and  Llano  counties.
