The Orator - Texas Governor Series LbNA #50155

Born in Walton County, Georgia on November 1, 1832, Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. was the 16th governor of Texas. Hubbard graduated from Mercer College in 1851 and Harvard Law School in 1853. He then moved to Texas and began practicing law in Tyler. While campaigning for James Buchanan in the presidential election of 1856, Hubbard's oratorical skill earned him the nickname of "the Demosthenes of Texas." I’ll just call him “The Orator”. He was appointed U.S. district attorney for the Western District of Texas in 1858, and elected state representative in 1859. After serving as a colonel in the Confederate Army, Hubbard farmed until he could resume his law practice upon being pardoned. He was elected Richard Coke's lieutenant governor in 1873 and 1876. When Coke resigned in December 1876 to become U.S. Senator, Hubbard became governor and served out his term. No legislatures met during this period. Besides an enormous public debt, Hubbard had to contend with renewed feuding and outlawry in the state. Other issues included the penitentiary lease system, the rise of the Grange and the Greenback Party, and the first experiments with the party primary. Hubbard received a majority of votes for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in July 1878, but did not receive a two-thirds majority. He was passed over in favor of the compromise candidate, Oran Roberts. President Grover Cleveland appointed Hubbard U.S. minister to Japan from 1885-1889. In 1899, Hubbard's book The United States and the Far East was published. He died in Tyler in 1901.

Directions: This letterbox is placed in Oakwood Cemetery in Tyler. From the intersection of Highways 69 and 31 in downtown Tyler, go West on W. Erwin St. (Hwy. 31). Turn right (north) on N. Palace Ave. When you cross the railroad tracks, the cemetery is on your right. The next street is W. Oakwood St., and you’ll turn right there. Turn right again onto N. Ellis Ave. until it dead-ends at W. Line St. The gate to the cemetery is on the right, so drive through the gate and park at the circle next to the tall Confederate Monument. The cemetery closes when the sun goes down, so you can't get to this box after dark. When we were there, a confederate flag was hoisted on the flagpole next to the statue.

To the box: The Confederate soldier is looking across the road to the historical marker and grave site of The Orator. Walk across and read the marker, then go straight back to a cedar growing through a small fence surrounding a burial site. The box is wedged in a hollow behind the fence and between it and the tree, disguised by long pieces of bark lodged upright to mimic the natural look of the tree.