Texas History Minute

Dr. Ken Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.

John Ireland lost more political races than he won, but he had an important role in state history. He rose from an impoverished background to become a Civil War officer, judge, and governor. Along the way, he helped create two icons of Texas: the University of Texas and the State Capitol. …