Walter Moses Burton

Walter Moses Burton (August 9, 1840 - June 4, 1913) was a farmer, sheriff, and Republican politician who served four terms in the Texas State Senate. Born into slavery in North Carolina in 1840, he was brought to Texas about 1860 (some sources say 1850). His owner, Thomas Burke Burton, a plantation owner in Fort Bend County, taught him to read and write. After emancipation, he purchased several tracts of land from his former owner. He became active in Republican party politics and was elected as the sheriff and tax collector in Fort Bend County in 1869. He was the first Black elected sheriff in the United States. He was first elected to the Fourteenth Legislature in 1874 and served almost continually until 1883. After leaving office, he returned to farming, but continued to be active in the Republican party until his death in 1913. He is buried in the Morton Cemetery in Richmond, Texas.

Walter Moses Burton lived in Fort Bend County at the time of slavery. When slavery ended in 1865, he became a free man. He then worked to help create a better community. He was the first African American elected Sheriff in the county. In fact, he was the first African American elected Sheriff in the whole country. He also was elected to represent Fort Bend County in the Texas Senate. As a senator, he helped create a college to give African Americans in the community more opportunities. That college still exists today. It is called Prairie View A&M University.

References[]

Texas Legislators: Past & Present - Walter Burton

Handbook of Texas Online - Walter Moses Burton

Forever Free: Nineteenth Century African-American Legislators and Constitutional Convention Delegates of Texas

Findagrave - Walter Moses Burton

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