Oscar Branch Colquitt

Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 25th governor of Texas from 1911 to 1915. He was a conservative member of the Democratic Party. Colquitt defended the actions of the Texas Rangers who allegedly crossed into Mexico in pursuit of the body of Clemente Vergara in March 1914. Colquitt was 6 ft 2.41 inches tall and weight of 106 kg, which makes him the heaviest governor of Texas.

Early years Oscar Branch Colquitt was born December 16, 1861, in Camilla, Georgia, to Thomas Jefferson Colquitt and Ann Elizabeth (Burkhalter) Colquitt. Through his great-great-grandfather Anthony Colquitt he is related to Senator Walter T. Colquitt of Georgia and his son Senator Alfred H. Colquitt, also the governor of Georgia. Thomas Jefferson Colquitt served in the Confederate States Army as an officer, and after the Civil War, attempted to farm using freed slaves as laborers. The weather destroyed the family's crops, and they lost everything.

Eager to start over, Colquitt's family moved to Morris County, Texas, arriving in Daingerfield on January 8, 1878. For three years he worked as a tenant farmer, walking the to school after the crops were in. Colquitt then spent one term at the Daingerfield Academy, He ran again in 1910, still opposing Prohibition, with the slogan "Political Peace and Legislative Rest." Although his opponents referred to him as "Little Oscar" for his diminutive stature, Colquitt won both the primary and the general election. Prohibitionist Democrats had been elected to a majority in each house of the legislature,

Colquitt had an uneasy relationship with the legislature during his time as governor, and their disagreements often bled into issues that had nothing to do with prohibition. One law limited the number of hours women could work, while another provided regulations for child workers and a third dealt with factory working conditions. The legislature also passed a worker's compensation act. Colquitt attempted to block some of these bills, but did sign all of them into law. In 1912, he called a meeting of Southern governors to work out a plan to stabilize the cotton market. The conference recommended the creation of state warehouses and acreage reduction. The Farmers' Union in Texas promoted those ideas, and over 2 million fewer acres of cotton was planted in 1912. This caused cotton prices to increase, and Colquitt took the credit.

Later years After leaving office, Colquitt became sympathetic to the German cause. He tried to purchase the New York Sun, which he intended to use to disseminate German propaganda, but was not successful. He later ran for the U.S. Senate in 1916. During his campaign, Colquitt cited his efforts at stabilizing the cotton market to demonstrate his interest in the farmers, and the labor legislation of his administration to show that he was a friend of labor. Despite his efforts, Colquitt was defeated in the Democratic primary runoff election by incumbent Sen. Charles Allen Culberson.

Following his defeat, Colquitt became president of an oil company in Dallas. From 1928 until 1929 he served on the U.S. Board of Mediation. In 1935, he became a field representative for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

Colquitt suffered a slight stroke in the late 1930s but remained active in his work. After a ten-day battle with influenza, Colquitt died on March 8, 1940, at Dallas, Texas. He is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas.