Master builder Abner Cook was awarded the bid and started construction of the "Governor's Residence" in the Fall of 1854 on the two-acre City Block 125. The two-story white brick Greek Revival structure with large Ionic columns stands on the far southwest corner in full view of the capitol. With a starting legislative appropriation of $14,500 for the main structure, an additional $6,000 was later approved for fencing, a ground well and furnishings. (PICB 01890, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library)
Governor Pease and his family move in, becoming the first occupants of the Texas Governor’s Mansion. The Pease family was allocated $2,500 to furnish the house, and they used many of their own furnishings in addition to the allowance. (Photo Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission)
Governor Hardin R. Runnels, former speaker of the house and lieutenant governor to Pease, moved into the Mansion. Due to his bachelor status, he chose his sister-in-law Martha Caroline Adams Runnels, to be his first lady. Gov. Runnels is known for calling on the federal government to send troops to protect the frontier and in their absence authorize him to send the necessary amount of men to protect Texas settlers. He is also known for passing an act establishing the University of Texas. Governor Runnels was famous for wearing two Colt six-shooters at his sides at all times, one of which remains in the Governor’s Collection today. (Photo Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX)
Governor Sam Houston moved into the Mansion in December of 1859. State legislators passed a bill approving an additional $2,500 for furnishings, which was spent on bedroom and bathroom furnishings. The most memorable of these purchases was the famous Sam Houston Bed, which rests in a fifth bedroom created to house the large Houston household. (Photo Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission)
Temple Lea Houston, son of Sam Houston, was the first baby born in the Mansion. He was delivered in the Houston bed, and at age 7, after his parents died, he went to live with his oldest sister in Georgetown. He passed the bar test at age 20, becoming the youngest practicing lawyer in Texas at the time. (Photo Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission)
Governor Edward Clark became governor when Sam Houston refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. During his administration, $150 was appropriated for Mansion repairs. Few social events took place during the Mansion during this time due to preoccupation with the Civil War. Gov. Clark lost reelection in 1861, and he joined a regiment of the Confederacy and became a brigadier general. (Photo Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX)
Governor Francis R. Lubbock was elected after a long political career holding positions as congressional clerk, comptroller of the Republic, and lieutenant governor to Runnels. He is known for always keeping the Mansion open to visitors, and didn’t like to dine alone. During the legislative session, he made sure each senator or representative shared a meal with the first family at least once. (Photo Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX)
Governor Pendleton Murrah presided over Texas during the final months of the Confederacy. During his time in the Mansion, the Legislature appropriated $14,000 for furnishings, repairs, and fences despite wartime budgetary shortages the state faced. (Photo Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX)
Governor A.J. Hamilton was the first unionist governor and appointed by Abraham Lincoln during a time when Texas was still mostly pro-confederate. The governor and first lady worked hard to smooth over tensions by regularly entertaining guests at the Mansion. In addition to living in the Mansion, the governor and his wife owned another home and 200-acre farm near Austin. Part of Gov. Hamilton’s land was later donated to the State and became the Texas State Cemetery. (Photo Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX)
Governor James Throckmorton moved into the Mansion without his wife and children in order to focus his efforts on restoring order in Austin after the Civil War. General George Armstrong Custer was also sent to Austin with federal troops to restore order and declared the governor “an impediment to reconstruction” and removed him from office on July 30, 1867. During Throckmorton’s administration, the Mansion underwent major repairs with a $10,500 appropriation from the legislature. (Photo Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX)
