DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Houston Bar Association. Now settle in, because this is a story about lawyers — and if you think lawyers don't have a history worth telling, well, friend, you might want to reconsider. The legal profession showed up in Houston in 1837, just one year after Texas broke free from Mexico and declared itself a Republic.
One year. The ink on independence was barely dry, and here come the attorneys. Some things, it seems, are inevitable.
Now, the first real sign of organization among Houston's lawyers dates to 1870, when the original Houston Bar Association was formed. Judge Peter W. Gray was elected president, and the objectives were straightforward enough — raise the standards of the legal profession, and purchase a law library.
Honorable goals, both of them. But here's the thing about that first association: it was short-lived. And not just short-lived in the way that legends fade — short-lived in the way that leaves no trace.
No records concerning its activity have ever been found. It organized, it named a president, and then, as far as history is concerned, it simply... vanished. Then came 1901.
Fifty-three attorneys joined together to form the Harris County Bar Association. Fifty-three lawyers, one shared purpose. And yet — it too ceased to exist after a few years.
You'd almost start to wonder if Houston's legal community had a habit of forming associations the way some folks make New Year's resolutions. But the third time, friends, the third time held. On March 26, 1904, the present Houston Bar Association was formed.
And this one had staying power. Among its early accomplishments, the association ran a campaign to build what became the 1910 Harris County Courthouse — the building known today as the Harris County Civil Courts building. Then in 1915, it established the Harris County Law Library.
The very thing that first organization back in 1870 had only dreamed of putting together. Throughout its history, the Houston Bar Association has supported legal services to the indigent, legal education, lawyer referral services, legal publications, and a range of volunteer projects. Three tries, stretching back to 1837.
Houston's lawyers kept at it until something finally stuck — and when it did, it built courthouses and filled libraries and served the community for generations. Not a bad legacy for a profession that showed up just one year after the Republic itself.
What the marker says
Members of the legal profession began practicing in Houston in 1837, one year after Texas gained its independence from Mexico and became a Republic. The earliest evidence of organization among the city's attorneys dates to 1870, when the original Houston Bar Association was formed. Judge Peter W. Gray was elected president of the association, whose objectives were to raise the standards of the legal profession and to purchase a law library. The organization was short-lived, however, and no records concerning its activity have been found. In 1901, fifty-three attorneys joined together to form the Harris County Bar Association, but it too ceased to exist after a few years. The present Houston Bar Association was formed on March 26, 1904. Among its early accomplishments was a campaign to build the 1910 Harris County Courthouse (present Harris County Civil Courts building) and the establishment of the Harris County Law Library in 1915. Throughout its history, the Houston Bar Association has supported programs to serve the community, including legal services to the indigent, legal education, lawyer referral services, legal publications, and other volunteer projects.