Freestone County, Texas
Biographies 



Biography of Judge William Washington Dies, Sr.
  (1866-	Dec. 31, 1928, buried Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, TX.)

Source - Texas State government: a volume of biographical sketches and passing 
comment. By E. H. Loughery. 1897 by McLeod & Jackson, Printers, Austin, Texas.

WILLIAH W. DIES,

KOUNTZE.

Representative from tne Thirty sixth district, composed of Hardin, Tyler, 
Jefferson, Orange, Chambers and Liberty counties, was born in Jackson Parish,
La., October 10, 1867; completed his literary education at the High School at
Fairfield; taught school in Freestone county, Texas, and in the Indian 
Territory for six years; edited the Groveton Enterprise and read law at 
leisure moments, and in 1893 was admitted to the bar at Groveton, Texas, since
which time he has been engaged in the practice of his profession at Kountze,
in Hardin county.

He has been a delegate to the Democratic county and district conventions held 
during the past four years, stumped his district and worked zealously and
effectively for party supremacy.

He is Chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills, and a member of the 
following committees: Judiciary No. 1, Privileges and Elections, and Contingent
Expenses.

Mr. Dies has introduced a joint resolution providing for an amendment to the 
state constitution, under the terms of which, if the resolution is passed and 
the amendment adopted by a popular vote, the Courts of Civil Appeals now 
existing, will be abolished, the number of Supreme Judges be increased to 9, 
and their term of office to ten years, the Supreme Court to be divided into 
three sections (A, B, and C), the first of which will have jurisdiction of 
appeals in all suits involving title to land, the next of cases to which 
corporations are parties, and the third of cases not otherwise provided for; 
a Court of Civil Appeals, consisting of three judges be established with final 
jurisdiction in all cases over which the county court has original or appellate
jurisdiction; and the Court of Criminal Appeals be left unaffected, except in 
this, that the judges thereof will, as provided for the judges of the Supreme
Court, hold their offices for terms of ten years and each receive a salary of
$3,000 per annum. He has, also, introduced other bills of less importance.