First Mayor - Ben S. Dowell 1873 - 1875

The City of El Paso was incorporated by the Texas Legislature on May 17th, 1873. In the election of August 12, Dowell was chosen as mayor, with six aldermen. Their early concerns were for the safety of the water supply, the definitions of crime and punishments for them, the division of the city into three wards, and the design of a city seal. Within a month, three aldermen resigned and a forth was disqualified, so another election was held in October to fill the vacancies. During his term of office, Dowell corresponded with the mayor of El Paso Del Norte regarding the changing of the channel of the river that was the international boundary. The Mexican mayor proposed that they agree on a revision of the line, but Dowell insisted that such decisions rested the with authorities in Washington and Mexico City. Thus a possible settlement of the Chamizal difficulty might have been averted with a handshake across the river. Dowell stood for re-election in 1874 but was defeated by attorney M.A. Jones over the issue of whether dogs should be retrained; Jone supported a license fee and restraint and won, 33 to 17. The fragile city government fell apart the next year, not to be revived until 1880.By that time, Dowell was serving as county commissioner, having been elected in 1878. Besides his many properties in the town, Dowell operated a ranch in the Upper Valley. He and Juana had five children: Mary, born in 1854, who was to marry Warner Phillips; John, born in 1862; Nehemiah, born in 1866; Elijah, birthdate unknown; and Richard, born in 1875. Mary and Warner Phillips had a ranch on her father's land near the present intersection of Doniphan and Mesa. Their two young sons - Ben Dowell Phillips and John Newton Phillips - were near the ages of Mary's younger brothers. Mary's descendents continued to live in El Paso. http://www.elpasohistory.com/elpasohist/2-uncategorised/79-benjamin-s-dowell Image Description: A sepia photograph shows Ben S. Dowell in an oval shaped frame facing the camera directly. He wears a dark suit with a white shirt underneath. His face looks directly at the camera wearing a long white beard up to his chest. He has no mustache and his hair also white looks abundant although short and parted at the side.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: EPMH

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History