mccaslin2012

@InCollection{ mccaslin2012,
	crossref = {howell2012},
	author = {Richard B. McCaslin},
	title = {William Longworth, Republican Villain},
	pages = {133--151},
	year = 2012,
}

Longworth was the chief justice of Wilson County, appointed by Governor Hamilton in September 1865. Using the power of the commissioners court, which McCaslin describes as “the greatest source of power in the nineteenth century” in each Texas county (p. 135), Longworth displaced county seat and punished political rivals, becoming a “Republican villain” in the eyes of local elites.

The place of this chapter in the overall collection is unclear, given that Longworth was not the target or instigator of violence. McCaslin also believes, for unclear reasons, that Longworth’s ambitions in office and “high-handed methods” in a sense “undermined” reform in the county by leading to his ouster.