C.R. Morehead

CHARLES R. MOREHEAD (born 1836 at Richmond, Missouri) Of El Paso pioneers who were in at the beginning of the real era of civic and commercial progress, at the coming of the railroads, few now survive. Of those who were on the ground in advance of the railroad, including such notable characters as Judge Magoffin and a group of other well-known citizens, few still remain. Among those coming in 1881, the first railroad year, the venerable banker, Charles R. Morehead, now in his seventy-eighth year, by reason of his splendid services and attainments is regarded as foremost citizen of El Paso. Mr. Morehead, (native of Missouri) came to El Paso to take up his permanent residence in the early part of 1881, before the first railroad train came into the city, and at once took steps to give El Paso its first banking institution -- the State National Bank. One of his first tasks after getting his bank well established was to build up a public school system and he is given credit for having laid a substantial basis for the present public school system. He consented to serve one term in the office of mayor, not for the political honor, but in order to have the facilities for carrying out some much needed public improvement of which he was an advocate. His most conspicuous achievement while in the office was to prevent the proposed taking of water for public purposes from the river instead of from the purer source of the Mesa, and he thus insured practically for all times an undefiled supply of fine water for this city. Charles R. Morehead, the El Paso citizen, was married to Lemira Morris and they had 3 children. (Source: from A History of Texas and Texans, by Frank W. Johnson. The American Historical Society. Chicago, 1914. Vol. III, pp. 1286-1288)