Stirpes, Volume 34, Number 1, March 1994 Page: 39

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Elected and Appointed Officials of Bexar County
During the Republic of Texas 1837 -- 1846
By: Richard G. Santos
Bexar County was created by an Act of the First Congress of the Republic of Texas on
Dec. 20, 1836. The county was officially organized on July 3, 1837, on which date Hon.
Joseph Baker assumed office as Chief Justice of Bexar County. His Associate Judges were
Hon. Jose Antonio Navarro and Hon. Ygnacio Chaves. The file of "elected and appointed
officials of the Republic of Texas" at the Texas State Archives (Austin, Tex.) list Jose Antonio
Navarro and Ignacio Chaves as Justices of the Peace for Precincts 1 and 2, respectively, of
Bexar County.
On Sept. 11, 1842, a Mexican force under General Adrian Woll invaded San Antonio
and took possession of the citizens, including District Judge Anderson
Hutchinson and District Clerk James L. Truehart, were taken as prisoners to Mexico.
As a consequence thereof, the County Court did not meet in its regular quarterly
sessions in October 1842, in all of 1843, or January 1844. Elections for County and City
officials were also not held during this period. Documents on file at the Texas State Archives
indicate some county officials were appointed during this period until the mandated election of
March 23, 1844.
The office of Chief Justice of the Court of Bexar County was changed to "County
Judge" through the passage of a Constitutional Amendment on June 25, 1866.
CHIEF JUSTICE (County Judge)
Joseph Baker, Chief Justice July 7, 1837
Jose Antonio Navarro, Associate Justice (JP. Pct. 1)
Ygnacio Chaves, Associate Justice (JP. Pct. 2)
Erasmo Sequin, Chief Justice Dec. 18, 1837
John S. Simpson, Chief Justice April 6, 1840
Note: The court did not meet from October 1842 through April 1844. However, the election
records at the Texas State Archives list as chiefjustice during this period:
John McMullen 1842-1844
David Morgan, Chief Justice April 1, 1844
Elected/Appointed Commissioned
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
PRECINCT ONE
Jose Antonio Navarro 1837 (also called Associate Justice)
Nicolas Flores 1837
Horatio A. Alsbury Feb. 4, 1839 Mar. 29, 1839
George W. Hobson Feb. 4, 1839 Mar. 29, 1839
John S. Simpson Oct. 11, 1839 Dec. 4, 1839
John McMullen Feb. 1, 1841 Feb. 20, 1841
P.L. Buquor Jan. 1, 1841 May 16, 1844
John McMullen Feb. 28, 1844 May 16, 1844

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