Nicholas Henry Darnell
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Henry Darnell was an American
politician in Tennessee
and Texas
. He was the only person to serve as Speaker of the House
of the Republic of Texas
House of Representatives and the State of Texas House of Representatives
. He was a member of the Tennessee General Assembly
prior to his move to Texas, and during the Civil War
raised and led the 18th Texas Cavalry Regiment, which was also known by the name of “Darnell's Regiment.”
, where he was raised by his grandfather, William Flewellen. Darnell married Isabelle Cozart and the two would have seven children. At 28, he ran for the Tennessee General Assembly, but lost by 8 votes. Two years later, he won election unopposed, but resigned in 1838 to move to San Augustine, Texas
.
In San Augustine, Darnell was sent to the Sixth and Seventh Congresses of the Republic of Texas
. In the Seventh Congress, Darnell was elected Speaker of the House on November 24, 1842. After Annexation
, Darnell narrowly lost the Lieutenant Governor
’s race to Albert Clinton Horton
. While in San Augustine, Darnell helped to organize the Masonic Lodge
there and held all offices of the Grand Lodge of Texas
.
Darnell appears to have served in the House of Representatives of the First Texas Legislature
, as he is listed as receiving one vote for Speaker in the election held to replace William Crump
. He moved to Dallas
in 1858, and was elected to the House for the Eighth
(1859), and Ninth
(1861) Texas Legislatures. Darnell was nominated for Speaker of the House in the Eighth Legislature on the second ballot, but was defeated by M. D. K. Taylor
, 45 votes to 33. In the Ninth Legislature, Constantine W. Buckley
was elected Speaker and served until he apparently resigned on December 7, 1861, at which time Darnell was elected Speaker.
After traveling to Richmond
, Virginia
, Darnell returned with orders to raise a cavalry regiment. He resigned as Speaker (as well as from the House) to raise the 18th Texas Cavalry.
After serving as Assistant Doorkeeper for the House of Representatives of the 14th Legislature
(1874), Darnell was elected from Tarrant County
to be a member of the House for the 15th Legislature
(1876). Darnell represented Tarrant, Ellis
, and Dallas
counties in the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1876. He served as Doorkeeper and Assistant Doorkeeper for the 15th
(1879) and 16th
(1881) Legislatures.
Darnell died July 16, 1885 in Fort Worth and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Dallas, and later re-interred in the Pioneer Cemetery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was the only person to serve as Speaker of the House
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
House of Representatives and the State of Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. He was a member of the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
prior to his move to Texas, and during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
raised and led the 18th Texas Cavalry Regiment, which was also known by the name of “Darnell's Regiment.”
Biography
Darnell was born on April 20, 1807 to Nannie Flewellen and Nicholas Darnell in Williamson County, TennesseeWilliamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
, where he was raised by his grandfather, William Flewellen. Darnell married Isabelle Cozart and the two would have seven children. At 28, he ran for the Tennessee General Assembly, but lost by 8 votes. Two years later, he won election unopposed, but resigned in 1838 to move to San Augustine, Texas
San Augustine, Texas
San Augustine is a city in San Augustine County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,475 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of San Augustine County and is situated in East Texas.-Geography:San Augustine is located at ....
.
In San Augustine, Darnell was sent to the Sixth and Seventh Congresses of the Republic of Texas
Congress of the Republic of Texas
The Congress of the Republic of Texas was the national legislature of the Republic of Texas established by the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in 1836. It was a bicameral legislature based on the model of the United States Congress...
. In the Seventh Congress, Darnell was elected Speaker of the House on November 24, 1842. After Annexation
Texas Annexation
In 1845, United States of America annexed the Republic of Texas and admitted it to the Union as the 28th state. The U.S. thus inherited Texas's border dispute with Mexico; this quickly led to the Mexican-American War, during which the U.S. captured additional territory , extending the nation's...
, Darnell narrowly lost the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
’s race to Albert Clinton Horton
Albert Clinton Horton
Albert Clinton Horton was a Texan politician, and the first Lieutenant Governor of Texas.-Early life:...
. While in San Augustine, Darnell helped to organize the Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
there and held all offices of the Grand Lodge of Texas
Grand Lodge of Texas
The Grand Lodge of Texas, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons is the largest of several governing bodies of Freemasonry in the State of Texas, being solely of the Ancients' tradition and descending from the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, founded in 1751. It was originally founded as "The Grand Lodge...
.
Darnell appears to have served in the House of Representatives of the First Texas Legislature
First Texas Legislature
The First Texas Legislature convened from 16 February to 13 May 1846 in regular session. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate were elected in December 1845, after an election on 13 October 1845 that ratified the proposed state constitution....
, as he is listed as receiving one vote for Speaker in the election held to replace William Crump
William Crump
William Edward Crump was the first Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives following statehood. A representative from Austin County, Crump was a novice in political circles, having held no previous public office in Texas either in the Republic or at the local level...
. He moved to Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in 1858, and was elected to the House for the Eighth
Eighth Texas Legislature
The Eighth Texas Legislature met from 7 November 1859 to 9 April 1861 in its regular session, a first called session, and an adjourned session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1859....
(1859), and Ninth
Ninth Texas Legislature
The Ninth Texas Legislature met from 4 November 1861 to 7 March 1863 in its regular session and one called session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1861.-Sessions:...
(1861) Texas Legislatures. Darnell was nominated for Speaker of the House in the Eighth Legislature on the second ballot, but was defeated by M. D. K. Taylor
M. D. K. Taylor
Marion DeKalb Taylor or M. D. K. Taylor was an American politician in Alabama and Texas, as well as a general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. He was a member of the Alabama Legislature for two stints between 1842 and 1846, and served in both the Texas House of...
, 45 votes to 33. In the Ninth Legislature, Constantine W. Buckley
Constantine W. Buckley
Constantine W. Buckley was an American politician in Texas who served two non-consecutive terms as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives between 1861 and 1863....
was elected Speaker and served until he apparently resigned on December 7, 1861, at which time Darnell was elected Speaker.
After traveling to Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Darnell returned with orders to raise a cavalry regiment. He resigned as Speaker (as well as from the House) to raise the 18th Texas Cavalry.
After serving as Assistant Doorkeeper for the House of Representatives of the 14th Legislature
Fourteenth Texas Legislature
The Fourteenth Texas Legislature met from 13 January 1874 to 15 March 1875 in two regular sessions. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1873.-Sessions:...
(1874), Darnell was elected from Tarrant County
Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 1,809,034. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the sixteenth most populous county in the United States and the third most populous in Texas. The county is named in honor...
to be a member of the House for the 15th Legislature
Fifteenth Texas Legislature
The Fifteenth Texas Legislature met from 18 April to 21 August 1876 in its regular session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1875.-Senate:Lieutenant GovernorPresident pro tempore...
(1876). Darnell represented Tarrant, Ellis
Ellis County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
, and Dallas
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
counties in the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1876. He served as Doorkeeper and Assistant Doorkeeper for the 15th
Fifteenth Texas Legislature
The Fifteenth Texas Legislature met from 18 April to 21 August 1876 in its regular session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1875.-Senate:Lieutenant GovernorPresident pro tempore...
(1879) and 16th
Sixteenth Texas Legislature
The Sixteenth Texas Legislature met from 14 January to 9 July 1879 in its regular session and one called session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1878 General Election.-Sessions:...
(1881) Legislatures.
Darnell died July 16, 1885 in Fort Worth and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Dallas, and later re-interred in the Pioneer Cemetery.