Joseph Magoffin (EPISD History)

Joseph Magoffin was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. During the Civil War, he and his brother joined the Confederate Army. Magoffin was a Roman Catholic and a pioneer in the city of El Paso. He was a large landowner and even served as Mayor of El Paso. In 1882, masons established the El Paso Independent School District. Joseph Magoffin, Samuel J. Freudenthal, and Edward C. Pew were the founding trustees. The first superintendent was Calvin W. Esterly. These men all belonged to the masonic lodge, El Paso Lodge # 130 A.F. & A.M. The same trend found through the state of Texas, masons believed that informed citizens could ultimately master their fate. “The Lodges sought to civilize, to teach manners and decorum, to augment the order and harmony of civil society. They taught men to speak in public, to keep records, to pay taxes, to be tolerant, to debate freely, to vote, to moderate their feasting, and to give lifelong devotions to the other citizens of their order.” *Masons founded institutions of higher learning in the U.S. Another mason, El Paso's 2nd Mayor Melton A. Jones, an attorney by trade educated and taught Spanish speaking kids the English language. All from the comfort of his home. Recently, Magoffin was made an endowed member of the masonic lodge by a prominent attorney.

Area: Central / Magoffin