Benj. H. Epperson was born in Mississippi in about 1828. He was educated
in North Carolina and at Princeton University, New Jersey. He came to
Texas and settled at Clarksville sometime in the ’40’s. He studied law,
was admitted to the bar and practiced with marked ability and success.
He was active Whig politician before and after the war and was the
candidate of his party for governor in 1851 at a time when he was below
the constitutional age. In 1852 he was at the head of the Texas
delegation to the Whig National convention. He served in the Legislature
practically from 1858 until his death. He was a personal friend of Sam
Houston and was consulted by Houston on numerous affairs of state.
In the controversy over secession Epperson was a Union man, standing
substantially with General Houston on that question. After Texas seceded
he cast his allegiance with the Confederacy and did a great deal for the
cause, giving very liberally of his time and money. He was a member of
the first Confederate Congress.
In 1866 he was elected to the U. S. Congress and went to Washington, but
as Texas was not recognized as a State, he was not permitted to take his
seat.
In the early ’70’s he moved to Jefferson, Texas where he lived until his
death in 1878.
Because of his wide personal acquaintance and unusual ability he
exercised a wide political influence throughout the State. He was one of
the first presidents of East-Line Railroad, and was highly instrumental
in the railroad development of Texas.
In 1931 a collection of papers and letters that had belonged to B. H.
Epperson were sent to the University of Texas by his son. Among them
were letters dealing with affairs in Texas during the Confederate war
and Reconstruction periods, also Indian papers saved from the time that
Mr. Epperson had represented the Indians in Washington before, or in the
early ’50’s, besides many papers pertaining to Railway matters, etc. The
Archivist, Mrs. Mattie Austin Hatcher has written that “they are very
valuable.” He says that these things are used by historians and also by
students in getting material for their thesis.