Richard F. Burges
Richard F. Burges

Richard F. Burges

RICHARD FENNER BURGES(January 7, 1873 - January 13, 1945) Richard F. Burges was born at Seguin, Texas to Bettie (Rust) and William H. Burges,Sr . In 1892 he followed his older brother William, and his uncle, Dr.W.M. Yandell to El Paso where he studied law in Williams’ office, then was admitted to the bar in 1894. From the time he came to El Paso, Burges played a prominent part in the development of El Paso and the Southwest. As city attorney from 1905 to 1907 he led the fight against organized gambling and wrote the city charter that was still in effect at the time of his death. An able attorney in many areas, his special field was irrigation law. He played a prominent role in the initiation and development of the Elephant Butte Dam project and was elected president of the National Irrigation Congress in 1915. He served as Assistant Counsel for the United States in 1911 regarding the Chamizal controversy; counsel for Texas in negotiations with New Mexico over diversion of waters of the Pecos River; special counsel and later member for Texas of the Rio Grande Compact Commission; authored the Texas Irrigation Code, the Texas Forestry Act and (1923) was President of the Texas Forestry Association. He was also appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to serve on an advisory committee for reformation of the State Rules of the Practice of Civil Procedures. Burges also served two terms as State Representative, 1913 (thirty-third legislature), and 1915 (thirty-fourth legislature). In June 1917 Burges organized Company B, Texas National Guard which was incorporated into the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division as Company A, 141st Infantry. He commanded his battalion in the battle of the Argonne and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for distinguished service. Serving under Burges was Sam Dreben, the “Fighting Jew”, called by Gen. Pershing the ‘bravest man in the AEF”. Burges was promoted to Major just before returning home at the end of the war. In 1898, Richard F. Burges married Ethel Petrie Shelton, an estimable young lady of a prominent family. Ethel died in April, 1912 when the Burges house was in its’ early stages of construction. To Richard and Ethel Burges was born a daughter, Jane. Upon Richards’ death in 1945, Jane inherited the estate, and, on Janes’ death in 1986, she bequeathed the Burges home to The El Paso County Historical Society. The Burges House is located in the Sunset Heights Historic District. (Source http://www.elpasohistory.com)

Area: Central / Sunset Heights

Source: El Paso County Historical Society

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Vicente Cisneros & Aurora Munoz. Jimenez,Chih.MX 1910

Photo was taken shortly before the violence of the Mexican ...

Vicente Cisneros, Aurora Munoz .Jimenez, MX. . Circa 1910

Vicente at top of photo and Aurora in white blouse were soon to ...

Aurora Munoz. Jimenez, MX. 1904

Aurora Munoz in the good days before the Mexican revolution ...

The Cisneros kids--Sunset Heights--1921

Refugio (Cuca) Cisneros, Vicente Cisneros and Aurora (Chata) ...

Lewels family - 1940's

The Lewels family in downtown El Paso in 1948. On the left is ...

521 Randolph Dr.

The Lorentzen home right after it was built in 1907.

521 Randolph Dr. right after construction - El Paso, Texas

The Lorentzen family home in El Paso, Texas was built in 1907.

521 Randolph Dr. with trees and bushes.

Here is the Lorentzen house after the yard was landscaped and ...

Mrs. J.W. Lorentzen and older relatives

This photo was taken at 521 Randolph St. Mrs. Lorentzen is on ...

Lorentzen family relatives

This photograph was taken at 521 Randolph Dr. El Paso, Texas ...

Four generations of Mrs. J.W. Lorentzen's family

This photograph was taken at 521 Randolph St in El Paso, Texas.

Child playing on porch with dolls

This is probably the Lorentzen's daughter. Photograph taken at ...

Child playing with dolls on front porch

Photograph taken at the Lorentzen family home at 521 Randolph ...

Child sitting on porch steps

This is the front porch of 521 Randolph Dr. The woman by the ...

Mother and child on front porch.

This is the front porch of 521 Randolph Dr., and the woman is ...

Man and child on front porch

This is the front porch at 521 Randolph Dr. The man may be Mr. ...

Two children on front porch

Two young children with their toys on the front porch of 521 ...

Man seated on front porch

This man is seated on the porch of 521 Randolph Dr. He is ...

Man standing on front porch

Man standing on the front porch of 521 Randolph Dr. He is ...

Two Girls by the side of house, El Paso, TX circa 1915

These girls are standing by the side yard of 521 Randolph Dr. ...

Two cats in chair

Two cats cuddled up on chair, probably inside 521 Randolph Dr.

Family members on front porch steps

These may be Casad family relatives with the Lorentzen children, ...

Family on front porch steps

These may be Casad relatives with the Lorentzen children, on the ...

home.search_collection