Judge John Benjamin Rector

John B. Rector, lawyer and judge, was born on November 24, 1837, in Jackson County, Alabama, the son of L. L. and Agnes (Black) Rector. In 1847 he moved with his family to Bastrop County, Texas, where his father established a plantation. Rector attended Yale College. He graduated in 1859, read law with Royal T. Wheeler, and was admitted to the Texas bar in 1860. He began the practice of law in Austin. Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the Eighth Texas Cavalry, Terry's Texas Rangers. He served throughout the conflict and surrendered with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in May 1865. After resuming the practice of law in Bastrop, Rector was elected district attorney for the Second Judicial District on June 25, 1866. He held that position until Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds ordered his removal in November 1867. Rector married Ludie W. Barton, a native of Mississippi, on December 25, 1866. They had no children.

By early 1871, although he had served in the Confederate Army and been removed from office by the military in 1867, Rector had become a Republican. Governor Edmund J. Davis appointed him judge of the Thirty-first Judicial District in February 1871, and he served on the bench until adoption of the Constitution of 1876. He then returned to the practice of law in Austin. He also became very active in Republican party politics, serving on the state platform committee in 1884, as chairman of the state executive committee in 1886–88, and as a delegate to the national convention in 1888 and 1892. In 1884 he ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for the Tenth District seat in the United States House of Representatives. Rector retired from his law practice in July 1888, but in March 1892 President Benjamin Harrison appointed him judge of the Northern Judicial District of Texas. He held that position until his death in Austin on April 9, 1898. After Episcopal rites, he was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

John B. Rector (November 24, 1837 – April 9, 1898) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Education and career
Born in Jackson County, Alabama, Rector graduated from Yale University in 1859 and read law to enter the bar in 1860. He entered private practice in Bastrop, Texas, interrupted by his service as a soldier in Terry's Texas Rangers during the American Civil War, beginning in 1861. He was a district attorney of Travis County, Texas from 1866 to 1867, thereafter returning to private practice in Bastrop until 1871. He was a Judge of the 31st Judicial District of Texas from 1871 to 1876, when he again returned to private practice, in Austin, Texas.[1]

Federal judicial service
On March 24, 1892, Rector was nominated by President Benjamin Harrison to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas vacated by Judge Andrew Phelps McCormick. Rector was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 28, 1892, and received his commission the same day. Rector served in that capacity until his death on April 9, 1898, in Dallas, Texas.[1] Age 56 left - disability mental illness,

References
^ Jump up to: a b John B. Rector at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Sources[edit]
John B. Rector at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Andrew Phelps McCormick
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
1892–1898 Succeeded by
Seat abolished
Categories: 1837 births1898 deathsJudges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of TexasUnited States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison19th-century American judges19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading lawPeople from Jackson County, AlabamaPeople from Bastrop, TexasPeople from Travis County, Texas

Obituary
Reported in Dallas, Texas

April 11, United States Judge John B. Rector off the bench last two years, of the Northern District of Texas, has been insane for two years and been unable to occupy the bench died at his home in Austin, Texas, Saturday night.

The Oskaloosa Herald
Oskaloosa, Iowa •
Thu, Apr 14, 1898
Page 1
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/131359820/obituary-for-john-b-re...]
[https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/rector-john-b]

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Sep 7 2023, 0:51:57 UTC

Father - Ludwell (1799-1880)
Mother - Anges Black (1812-1852)
Wife - Louisa 'Lutie' Barton, married

For several years, his law office was at 910 South Congress Ave. in Austin. For part of the time, there were two other law partners with him.
_____________________________________

THE LAMPASAS LEADER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1898

Judge John B. Rector Dead

After an illness of several years as a result of organic diseases and the wear and tear of an active life, Judge John B. Rector died at his home in Austin last Saturday, the 9th.

Judge Rector was one of the most prominent lawyers in Texas. He was born in Jackson County, Alabama, November 24, 1837. He came with his father's family to Texas in 1847 and settled in Bastrop County. He was admitted to the bar in 1860 and opened an office in Austin. He enlisted in the Confederate army at the beginning of hostilities in 1861 and served throughout the as a member of Terry's Texas Rangers. In March 1892, he was appointed United States judge of the Northern District of Texas.

In every walk of life, he was universally popular.

He leaves a wife, two brothers, three sisters, and a host of friends to mourn his death.

Mrs. W. H. Browning of this city was a first cousin of Judge Rector.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 7 2023, 1:55:30 UTC