12. More Judges, Delegates, Legislators

Bruce W. Bryant (photo above) was 9 years old when his father, Jesse P., died in 1886. He remained on the farm adjacent to the Sadler cemetery with his mother, Mary Margaret, and sister Sue. At this time, various organizations were transporting children that had been abandoned or orphaned by epidemics in the east to the midwest. Adoptions worked like this: Local newspapers would announce the upcoming arrival of a train. When it pulled into a local depot, the children got off, and if lucky, were selected by waiting families. In the late 1880s or early 1890s, Mary Margaret went to the Sadler depot and adopted Billy Mason from an orphan train.

Bruce’s brother, Thomas Malcolm Bryant (b. 30 April 1868 in Buffalo, Ky) married Lou "Emma" Ashcraft in Grayson Co., Tx in 1890. They had a son, Carl Erister Bryant.[1] Thomas died two years later of typhoid fever.

Mary Margaret Ford Bryant married William M. Moore in 1892, but he didn't live long. Sue married James T. Hackleman in 1902. The following year, Bruce and his mother moved to Whitesboro and then, in 1908, to Haskell. After Sue Bryant Hackleman died in 1915, Mary Margaret raised her granddaughters, Grace and Frances. In Haskell, she befriended Mary Tabitha Williams Guest. This placed Bruce in the company of the only Guest daughter, Ivy. The two later married. Mary Margaret lived to almost 100, dying on May 8, 1944.

Daddy Bruce grew up in impoverished circumstances, awed and inspired by his rich uncle Anthony. He worked hard, first, to obtain an education, and then, to apply it. Later in life, he wrote several autobiographical sketches for his children. These sketches illuminate a rich life, spanning two World Wars and many key events in Texas history. While attending Grayson College in Whitewright, Bruce lived first with his cousin Charley, “a large land owner,” and then with his cousin Columbus, “a banker.” He taught for a while and then attended the UT School of Law. In 1909, he married Ivy Guest. They had four children: Brucille, Frank F., Joseph, and William David. He was County Attorney for Haskell County, a member of the State House of Representatives from Haskell for two terms,[2] and District Judge.

After James Allred was elected Texas Attorney General in 1930, he asked Judge Bryant to resign from the bench, move to Austin, and become his right hand man. Judge Bryant was reluctant. He liked serving on the bench. Allred sweetened the deal: if Judge Bryant would make the sacrifice, he'd get a seat on the Texas Supreme court, when Allred became governor. Judge Bryant kept his half of the bargain, but Allred, who became governor in 1935, reneged on his promise.

Judge Bryant held many titles over the course of his career. They included State Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds; Assistant Attorney General, the highest non-elected position in the AG's office (he never accumulated the wealth necessary to mount a statewide campaign); and head of the state’s first board of Pardons and Paroles to which he was appointed by his best friend Texas Supreme Court Justice Cureton. Another close friend was the leader of the Texas House, Frank Fuller, for whom he named his second son. He also knew Representative Lyndon Johnson.

Bruce W. Bryant was a hunter and fisher of Hemingwayesque proportions. He was also the consummate Texas politician of his era, often quoted in newspaper articles and appreciated by all for his dry wit, as evidenced by his famous "Bull Opinion." He was a recognizable figure in Austin, wearing upright collars decades after they ceased to be fashionable, smoking a fat cigar, and often strolling the capitol grounds with Saskatoon Brucie.[3]

Other Bryants of the Era

Bruce W. was close to his half brothers, who traveled with him to Texas by covered wagon. Bluford Emmett made a run on horseback for land in Oklahoma on April 19, 1892, securing a homestead in what is now Washita Co. He built a dugout and returned to Texas to marry his sweetheart, Virginia P. Grant of Whitesboro. Over the years, he became a successful farmer and held several county offices. A Democrat, he was elected as a delegate to the Oklahoma constitutional convention. He died in 1916.

Jessie Ray settled in Gotebo, Oklahoma not far from Bluford Emmett and struggled to make a living as a ranch hand. Life became especially difficult, following the death of his wife, Marthena. As he never remarried, neighbors and friends helped care for his younger daughters. Jesse Ray died in 1935 at the age of 76.

Samuel Anthony attended Waco University (now Baylor University) and Austin College in Sherman, obtaining a teaching certificate. He taught in Grayson Co and Eastland Co, becoming a principal in the latter. Around this time he also began to study law and qualified for the bar in 1901. He served as tax assessor and county judge in Eastland Co before moving to Memphis, Texas in 1904. There, he worked as county attorney until he was elected to the state legislature. He remained in office for five terms.[4] Samuel Anthony died on February 22, 1937 at age 74.

In 1889, President Harrison appointed Bruce's cousin, David E. Bryant, son of Anthony Murray Bryant, as Judge of the Eastern Federal District of Texas; he held the position until his death in 1910. For his bio, click here. David's son, Randolph, was born in Sherman and attended the UT School of Law. After serving as a Captain in the Army during WWI, he became US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. In 1930, President Herbert Hoover appointed him to a seat on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas where his father had served. He remain there until his death in 1951.

[1] Carl Erister Bryant was b. 5 Sept. 1891 d. 18 April 1952 in Ohio. He lived in Ironton, Ohio. Only one daughter lived to adulthood - Jeannette Handley. Carl suffered from gassing during WWI and died at the Chillocothe (Ohio) Veterans Center.

[2] http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=2662&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=104~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=Bryant~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=

[3] Saskatoon Brucie was the son of My Own Brucie, grand champion Cocker Spaniel of 1940-1. He belonged to Frank F. Bryant who was was a RAF pilot instructor in Saskatoon Canada until Pearl Harbor, when he moved his family back to Austin.

[4] http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberdisplay.cfm?memberID=1985