BAYLOR, ROBERT EMMETT BLEDSOE
Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor achieved prominence as a jurist, a Baptist preacher, and a law professor. He was instrumental in the founding of the first Baptist college in Texas, which was named Baylor University in his honor.
Baylor was born May 10, 1793, in Lincoln County, Kentucky. He began his political career
in 1819 with service in the Kentucky legislature, moving to the Alabama legislature in 1824. He represented Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1829 to 1831.
In 1839 Baylor settled in Texas and began a judicial career. He was appointed to a Texas district court in 1841 and also served as associate judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas from 1841 to 1845. Following the annexation of Texas by the United States, he rendered decisions as a U.S. district judge from 1845 to 1861. He was also instrumental in the formation
of the Texas state constitution in 1845.
As a Baptist preacher, Baylor helped to pro-
cure a charter for a Baptist college that would
come to be named Baylor University. The uni-
versity was originally located in Independence,
Texas, but later moved to Waco in 1886, where it
remained. Baylor began teaching courses in the
science of law at the new university in 1849. In
1857, Baylor University established its original
school of law, and Baylor served on the original
faculty. With the exception of the period of the
Civil War, when the school of law did not offer
classes, Baylor taught courses in CONSTITU-
TIONAL LAW and JURISPRUDENCE until 1873.
He died on December 30, 1873, in Washington County, Texas.
FURTHER READINGS
“1849–1883: The Early History.” Baylor Law School. Available
online at
McSwain, Betty Ann McCartney. 1976. The Bench and Bar of
Waco and McLennan County, 1849–1976. Waco, Tex.:
Texian.
