Texas General Land Office

{{Infobox government agency

| agency_name = Texas General Land Office

| agency_type =

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| seal = Texas General Land Office seal.png

| seal_width =

| seal_caption = Seal of the Texas General Land Office

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| image = AustinStateOfficeBuildingAustinTX.JPG

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| image_caption = Stephen F. Austin State Office Building

| formed = {{Start date and age|1836|12|22|df=yes}}

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| jurisdiction = Texas public lands

| headquarters = Stephen F. Austin State Office Building
1700 N. Congress Ave
Austin, Texas 78701

| coordinates = {{coord|30|16|46|N|97|44|22|W|type:landmark|display=inline}}

| employees =

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| chief1_name = Dawn Buckingham

| chief1_position = Land Commissioner

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| website = {{URL|http://www.glo.texas.gov/|glo.texas.gov}}

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}}

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is a state agency of the U.S. state of Texas, responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state. The GLO also manages and contributes to the state's Permanent School Fund. The agency is headquartered in the Stephen F. Austin State Office Building in Downtown Austin.{{Cite web|title=Locations and Hours|website=Texas General Land Office|url=http://www.glo.texas.gov/GLO/contact-us/location_and_hours/index.html|access-date=14 May 2015}}

Role and remit

The General Land Office's main role is to manage Texas's publicly owned lands, by negotiating and enforcing leases for the use of the land, and sometimes by making sales of public lands. Royalties and proceeds from land sales are added to the state's Permanent School Fund, which helps to fund public education within the state.{{cite news |last=Satija |first=Neena |date=October 28, 2014 |title=All Eyes on Land Office if George P. Bush Wins |url=http://www.texastribune.org/2014/10/28/once-obscure-agency-rises-prominence/ |newspaper=Texas Tribune |access-date=14 May 2015}} The agency is also responsible for keeping records of land grants and titles and for issuing maps and surveys of public lands.{{Cite web|title=History of the Texas General Land Office|website=Texas General Land Office|url=http://www.glo.texas.gov/GLO/history-of-the-Land-Office/index.html|access-date=14 May 2015}} The agency also manages federal disaster recovery grant funding.{{Cite web|title=Texas GLO - Community Development & Revitalization|url=http://www.glo.texas.gov///index.html|access-date=2022-01-21|website=The Texas General Land Office, George P. Bush - Commissioner}}

Since 2011 the GLO has managed The Alamo in San Antonio. The management of The Alamo was transferred to the General Land Office after allegations of mismanagement were directed at the prior manager, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.{{Cite news|title=Control of Alamo Begins to Shift Away From DRT|first=Beth|last=Brown|date=26 July 2011|newspaper=Texas Tribune|url=http://www.texastribune.org/2011/07/26/alamo-responsibilities-shifting/|access-date=14 May 2015}}

History

The Congress of the Republic of Texas established the General Land Office on 22 December 1836 (making the GLO the oldest existing Texas public agency).{{Cite web|title=Welcome to the Texas General Land Office!|website=Texas General Land Office|url=http://www.glo.texas.gov/GLO/index.html|access-date=14 May 2015}} The agency's constitutional purpose was to "superintend, execute, and perform all acts touching or respecting the public lands of Texas."{{Cite web|title=GENERAL LAND OFFICE|first=John G.|last=Johnson|date=15 June 2010|website=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mcg01|access-date=14 May 2015}} Since its establishment the agency has been located in Austin, although a relocation to Houston was briefly attempted during the Texas Archive War. One former home of the GLO, the Old Land Office Building, is a registered historic place and now serves as the Texas State Capitol Visitor Center.

When the State of Texas was annexed into the United States in 1845, it kept control of all of its public lands from its time as a sovereign state.Joint Resolution for annexing Texas to the United States, J.Res. 8, enacted March 1, 1845, {{USStat|5|797}}. Joint Resolution for the admission of the state of Texas into the Union, J.Res. 1, enacted December 29, 1845, {{USStat|9|108}}. As a result, Texas is the only public land state in the US to control all of its own public lands; all federal lands in Texas were acquired by purchase (e.g. military bases), donation (e.g. national parks) or eminent domain.

Texas's public lands were significantly enlarged by the US Submerged Lands Act of 1953 and the resolution of the ensuing Tidelands Controversy. Because Texas's historical territorial waters originated with the Republic, the US Supreme Court ruled in the 1960 case United States v. Louisiana{{ussc|name=United States v. Louisiana|link=United States v. Louisiana (1960)|volume=363|page=1|year=1960}} that Texas was in the unique position of owning territory out to three leagues (9 geographical miles which is nearly exactly 9 nautical miles, 10.35 statute miles, 16.66 km) from its coastline (significantly more than the three geographical miles controlled by other coastal states). All of these lands (and the oil and gas deposits beneath them) are managed by the General Land Office.

==Texas Land Commissioner==

{{Infobox Political post

| post = Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office

| insignia =

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| image = Sen. Dawn Buckingham, M.D (cropped).jpg

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| incumbent = Dawn Buckingham

| incumbentsince = January 10, 2023

| style = The Honorable

| termlength = Four years, no term limits

| formation = Texas Constitution

| inaugural =

| website = {{URL|http://www.glo.texas.gov/GLO/the-commissioner/index.html|Official Website}}

}}

The head of the General Land Office is the Texas Land Commissioner, a statewide public official. Since a 1972 constitutional amendment, Texas state-wide officers–including the Commissioner–have been elected every four years, prior to which they were elected every two years. The current land commissioner is Dawn Buckingham, who was elected on 8 November 2022.

class=wikitable

|+ Land Commissioners by party affiliation (since statehood)

! scope="col"| Party

! scope="col"| Land Commissioner

! scope="row"| Democratic

| 20

! scope="row"| Republican

| 6

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Land Commissioners in chronological order, showing party affiliation

! scope="col"| {{abbr|No.|Number}}

! scope="col"| Image

! scope="col"| Name

! scope="col"| Term of service

! scope="col"| Political party

! scope="row"| John P. Borden

|August 23, 1837 – December 12, 1840{{Cite web |last=Todd |first=William N. |last2=Knape |first2=Gerald |date=1952 |title=Borden, John Pettit |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/borden-john-pettit |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

2 (interim){{efn-la|Sources differ in whether they include Raglin in the count of Commissioners, and hence whether they consider Ward to be second or third commissioner; however, the General Land Office's official enumeration includes Raglin in its count}}

! scope="row" | H. W. Raglin

|December 12, 1840 – January 4, 1841

|60px

! scope="row" | Thomas W. Ward

|January 4, 1841 – March 20, 1848{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Ward, Thomas William (1807–1872)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ward-thomas-william |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

colspan="5" |The Republic of Texas is admitted into the United States as the State of Texas (December 29, 1845)

|60px

! scope="row"| George W. Smyth

|March 20, 1848 – August 4, 1851
Defeated Ward in 1848 election

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

5{{efn-la|Crosby served three non-consecutive terms as Land Commissioner, but is only counted in the enumeration once}}

! scope="row"| Stephen Crosby

|August 4, 1851 – March 1, 1858{{Cite book |url=https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txdcgs/documents/Three_Centuries_On_The_Land_Handout_5-2012.pdf |title=Three Centuries on the Land: The Archives of the Texas General Land Office |publisher=Texas General Land Office |year=2012 |pages=18 |format=PDF}}

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

6{{efn-la|White served two non-consecutive terms as Land Commissioner, but is only counted in the enumeration once}}

! scope="row" | Francis M. White

|March 1, 1858 – March 1, 1862

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row" | Stephen Crosby

|March 1, 1862 – September 1, 1865

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row" | Francis M. White

|September 1, 1865 – August 7, 1866

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row" | Stephen Crosby

|August 7, 1866 – August 27, 1867
Removed from office by Reconstruction military government

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row" | Joseph Spence

|August 27, 1867 – January 19, 1870

|{{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Spence, Joseph (1826–1894)

|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/spence-joseph |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

|60px

! scope="row" | Jacob Kuechler

|January 19, 1870 – January 20, 1874

|{{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

! scope="row"| Johann J. Groos

|January 20, 1874 – June 15, 1878
Died in office

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| W. C. Walsh

|June 15, 1878 – January 10, 1887
Appointed by Governor Richard B. Hubbard to remainder of Groos' term{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Walsh, William C. (1836–1924)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/spence-joseph |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| Richard M. Hall

|January 10, 1887 – January 16, 1891

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Hall, Richard Moore (1851–1917)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hall-richard-moore |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

! scope="row"| W. L. McGaughey

|January 16, 1891 – January 16, 1895

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=McGaughey, William L. (1837–1912)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mcgaughey-william-l |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

! scope="row"| Andrew J. Baker

|January 15, 1895 – January 16, 1899

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Baker, Andrew Jackson (1842–1912)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/baker-andrew-jackson |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

! scope="row"| George W. Finger

|January 16, 1899 – May 4, 1899
Died in office{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Finger, George W. (1857–1899)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/finger-george-w |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| Charles Rogan

|May 15, 1899 – January 10, 1903
Appointed by Governor Joseph Sayers to replace Finger; subsequently elected{{Cite web |date=1952 |title=Rogan, Charles (1858–1932)|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/rogan-charles |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| John J. Terrell

|January 10, 1903 – January 11, 1909

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| James T. Robison

|January 11, 1909 – September 8, 1929{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Cecil Jr |date=1952 |title=Robison, James Thomas |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/robison-james-thomas |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) |language=en}}
Died in office

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| J. H. Walker

|September 12, 1929 – January 1, 1937
Appointed by Governor Dan Moody to replace Robison; elected in 1930; re-elected in 1932 and 1934; did not stand in 1936

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| William H. McDonald

|January 1, 1937 – January 1, 1939

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| Bascom Giles

|January 1, 1939 – January 5, 1955
Re-elected in 1954 but failed to take oath of office due to Veterans' Land Board scandal, for which he went on to serve 3 years in prison

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

|60px

! scope="row"| James Earl Rudder

|January 5, 1955 – February 1, 1958
Appointed by Governor Alan Shivers to replace Giles; elected in 1956; resigned in 1958

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| Bill Allcorn

|February 1, 1958 – January 1, 1961
Appointed by Governor Price Daniel to replace Rudder; elected in 1958

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| Jerry Sadler

|January 1, 1961 – January 1, 1971

|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

! scope="row"| Bob Armstrong