Mayor Benjamin Elias Cabell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_E._Cabell

Benjamin Elias Cabell (November 18, 1858 - February 8, 1931), attorney, was mayor of Dallas 1900-1904.

Biography

Benjamin Elias Cabell was born November 18, 1858 in Ft. Smith, Arkansas to William Lewis Cabell and Harriet Amanda Rector. He married Sadie E. Pearre, daughter of Judge Charles Baer Pearre and Harriet “Hallie” Kelly Earle, on November 26, 1896 in Waco, Texas. They had three sons: Ben Elias Cabell, Jr., Charles Pearre Cabell, and Earle Cabell.

He spent part of his youth as a mining prospector in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Lower California (Mexico). He returned to Dallas and entered the livery business. When his father was appointed U.S. Marshall for the Northern District of Texas, he was appointed Deputy Marshall. He was elected Sheriff of Dallas County in 1892 and held the office until 1900. He was elected mayor in 1900. His father, Brig. General William Lewis Cabell (CSA), and his son, Earle Cabell, also served the city as mayor. While mayor he oversaw the construction of Bachman Lake dam as part of the city water system. He was director of the State Fair of Texas, chairman of the State Penitentiary Board. He was a member of the Sons of the Confederacy, Knights of Pythias and the Elks.

On February 8, 1931, Ben E. Cabell died at Fort Sam Houston, Bexar County, Texas. He was interred at Greenwood Cemetery, Dallas, Texas.

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Benjamin Elias Cabell, twenty-seventh mayor of Dallas, Texas, was born on November 18, 1858, to William Lewis Cabell and Harriette Amanda (Rector) Cabell in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Cabell moved to Dallas, Texas, with his family in 1872. He worked for John S. Leachman’s Singer sewing machine office until school began at Rock College on Cantegral Street. When not in school, he also worked for the Dallas Flouring Mill Company.

In 1878, when the Leadville, Colorado, mines were discovered to contain silver, Cabell and other Dallasites headed out to earn their fortunes. He spent time in both Colorado and California before returning to Dallas in 1884 when he founded a livery business. In 1885 his father, who was serving as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Texas, appointed his son as a deputy of the United States. Cabell left Dallas again, this time for Indian Territory (Oklahoma). He served in this role for four years. In 1892 Ben Cabell was elected Dallas County sheriff, a position he held for eight years.

On May 21, 1893, while Cabell was sheriff, the H. A. Harvey, Jr., a 113-foot steamboat, made its way up the Trinity River and finally to Dallas after leaving Galveston two months and ten days prior. This event was cause for a giant celebration, including a parade. Sheriff Cabell was one of the six people who constituted Grand Marshal Charles F. Bolanz’s staff for the parade.

Cabell married Sarah “Sadie” Earle Pearre, daughter of Judge Charles Baer Pearre and Harriet Kelly (Earle) Pearre, on November 26, 1896, in Waco. They had four children: William Lewis II (died at birth), Benjamin Jr., Charles Pearre, and Earle. Earle, with brother Ben, formed Cabell’s Inc., an ice cream company, and later became the forty-eighth mayor of Dallas.

In 1900, when the U.S. census showed Dallas having 42,638 citizens, Cabell won the mayoral race over opponent Bryan T. Barry by a margin of approximately 2,500 votes. His father previously had served three terms as mayor. The town of Oak Cliff was a significant topic during his administration. Discussions by the citizens of both the cities of Oak Cliff and Dallas surrounding the possible annexation of Oak Cliff by Dallas began in the 1890s. A vote in Oak Cliff finally occurred in 1900 with its citizens rejecting annexation, allegedly because of a Dallas ordinance requiring that cows be kept off city streets at all times. Oak Cliff preferred its own law, which required only that cows be penned up at night. On March 17, 1903, however, Oak Cliff residents relented and voted 201 to 183 in favor of annexation. Three weeks later, on April 10, 1903, Cabell approved the ordinance bringing Oak Cliff into the Dallas city limits and welcomed almost 4,000 new citizens as Dallasites. Another significant change for Dallas during Cabell’s administration was the improvement and expansion of water and sewage services, specifically, the construction of Bachman dam in 1903.

After his term as mayor, Cabell continued his public service. He was president of the Texas Sheriffs’ Association, held multiple offices with the State Fair of Texas, was chair of the State Penitentiary Board, and was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Knights of Pythias, the Dallas Democratic Club, the Knights of Honor, the Elks, and the Woodmen of the World.

Sadie Cabell died on June 16, 1921, in San Diego, California. She was returned to Dallas and buried in Greenwood Cemetery. Ben E. Cabell died on February 8, 1931, while visiting his son Lt. Charles Pearre Cabell in San Antonio, Texas. He was interred at Greenwood Cemetery next to his wife.