Background
BAYLOR, John Robert was born on July 20, 1822 in Paris, Kentucky, United States, United States.
BAYLOR, John Robert was born on July 20, 1822 in Paris, Kentucky, United States, United States.
He was married and had two sons. A lawyer, he emigrated to Texas in 1839 and fought in the Comanche campaign the following year. He served in the Texas legislature in 1853-1854.
In 1860-1861, he edited a Democratic paper called The White Man in Weatherford, Texas. As a delegate from Weatherford to the Texas secession convention in January 1861, he voted for secession. Baylor became lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Texas Cavalry in 1861, and he commanded the surrender of U.S. forces at San Antonio.
He also commanded the second line of defense on the western frontier in mid-1861. In June 1861, he occupied Marsilla, New Mexico, and in July 1861, he captured Fort Fillmore. On August 1,1861, he took command of the Arizona Territory, of which Davis made him governor on February 14, 1862.
Baylor actively protected white settlers in Arizona from Indian forays. His too vigorous attempts to quell Indian unrest finally forced his removal as governor. He was elected to the second Confederate House from Texas by a large majority, having conducted a harsh campaign in which he attacked incompetence and accused the opposition of disloyalty.
As a pro-administration congressman from 1863 to 1865, he served on the Indian Affairs and Patents Committees and on special committees concerning army pay and additional taxation. After the war, he lived in San Antonio and practiced law before moving to Montell, Texas.
"Peculiar institution" of slavery was not only expedient but also ordained by God and upheld in Holy Scripture.
Stands for preserving slavery, states' rights, and political liberty for whites. Every individual state is sovereign, even to the point of secession.