History

This is an ongoing historical research project. We are attempting to obtain accurate dates and other historical details. We welcome contributions from everyone.

For Bexar County Courthouse history, please visit the Hidalgo Foundation and the Bexar County Historical Commission websites.

Clerks of the District Courts have been elected since the beginning of the Republic. The Constitution of 1836 Article IV, Section 6 states, "The Clerks of the District Courts shall be elected by the qualified voters in the counties where the courts are established and shall hold their offices for four years, subject to removal by presentment of a grand jury, and conviction of a petit jury."

The Constitution of 1845, 1866, and 1868 changed the District Clerk's term to two (2) years. This was the law until the amendment in 1956 changing the term of office to four (4) years. In 1837 there were two (2) cases filed with the District Clerk while in 1970 there were 17,262 cases filed, and currently, there are over 50,000 lawsuits filed each year.

District Clerk Name Date Took Office
Manuel Perez May 1, 1837
John R. Block February 1, 1841
James L. Truehart (1) March 4, 1841
Rafael C. Garza February 3, 1845
John M. Carolan (2) July 17, 1846
Nat Mitchell (3) August 4, 1862
John A. Forbes (4) Fall 1865
Conrad Seabough (5) August 12, 1865
W. H. Jackson (6) June 26,1866
Mortimer Slocum (7) November 5, 1867
Samuel S. Smith December 2, 1872
George R. Dashiell February 15, 1876
Theordore Boldus November 7, 1882
George R. Dashiell November 4, 1884
Henry Umcheid November. 4, 1892
Nat Lewis November 4, 1894
George Surkey (8) November 4, 1900
C. L. Nevil (9) November 3, 1904
Andres Coy, Jr. November 4, 1906
Osceola Archer (10) January 1, 1917
Howard Archer (11) 1925
Hart McCormick January 1, 1927
Elton R. Cude January 1, 1967
Tom Rickhoff January 1, 1980
Herb Schaefer 1981
David J. Garcia January 1, 1983
Leticia Gonzalez Pro Tempore December 1, 1997
Mary L White January 6, 1998
Reagan Greer January 1, 1999
Margaret G. Montemayor January 1, 2003
Donna Kay McKinney January 1, 2011
Mary Angie Garcia January 1, 2019
Gloria A. Martinez January 1, 2023
  1. John James - Pro-Tem while Truehart was a prisoner of General Adrian Woll and incarcerated in Perote Prison in Mexico
  2. Killed in Civil War
  3. Appointed to fill the seat, elected in 1862. Resigned Jan. 21, 1865)
  4. Appointed by John H. Duncan, Judge, 4th Administrative District
  5. Appointed by Provisional Governor A. J. Hamilton
  6. Brigade General in Confederacy - elected
  7. Appointed by General J. J. Reynolds
  8. Appointed June 14, 1906.  See "S. A. Light Thru the Years" 1976 for 1906
  9. During this term, Minutes of the Courts were in longhand and then typewriters were used.
  10. Died in office and succeeded by daughter, Alice Nevil, to finish the term
  11. Died in office in 1925
  12. Appointed to complete wife, Osceola's, term