Sawnie Robertson Aldredge (November 13, 1890 – May 13, 1949), attorney and judge, was mayor of Dallas from 1921 to 1923.

Sawnie R. Aldredge
35th Mayor of Dallas
In office
1921–1923
Preceded byFrank W. Wozencraft
Succeeded byLouis Blaylock
Personal details
Born(1890-11-13)November 13, 1890
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedMay 13, 1949(1949-05-13) (aged 58)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeHillcrest Mausoleum, Dallas, Texas
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMary Ellen Batts
Children2
Alma mater
OccupationAttorney
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1917–1919
RankSecond lieutenant
UnitSignal Corps
Battles/warsWorld War I

Biography

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Aldredge was born November 13, 1890, in Dallas, Texas, to Judge George Nathan Aldredge and Betty Warren Hearne. He married Mary Ellen Batts, daughter of Judge Robert Lynn Batts and Harriet Fiquet Boak on January 14, 1915, in Austin, Texas. They had two children: Sawnie R. Aldredge Jr. and Mary Lynn Aldredge. Aldredge's niece, Gertrude Aldredge Shelburne, was an early women's rights and birth control activist in Dallas.[1]

He attended Southwestern University, Cornell University and University of Texas School of Law. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1914. He was associated with Thompson, Knight, Baker & Harris; Allen & Flanary, which eventually became Aldredge, Shults & Madden. During the First World War, he was stationed at Kelly Field, Texas, and St. Maixent Field, France.[2][3]

He ran for mayor with the support of the Citizens' Association, defeating William E. Talbot, nominee of the Democratic party and the Independent Voters' League.[4] Trinity Heights was annexed to the city of Dallas during his administration. This was the largest single addition to the city since Oak Cliff was annexed in 1904.[5] He sought to annex Highland Park to the city and to establish a municipal golf course. He did not run for a second term.[6]

Sawnie R. Aldredge died May 13, 1949, in Dallas, Texas, and was interred at Hillcrest Mausoleum, Dallas, Texas.[2][7][8]

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Harold L. (2011). "'All Good Things Start With the Women': The Origin of the Texas Birth Control Movement, 1933-1945". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 114 (3): 253–285. doi:10.1353/swh.2011.0016. PMID 21574284. S2CID 29360093. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  2. ^ a b . The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Volume 38. New York: James T. White & Co., 1953, p. 359
  3. ^ History of Texas World War Heroes. Dallas, Tex. : Army & Navy History Co. 1919, p.325
  4. ^ "Aldredge Elected Mayor of Dallas." The Dallas Morning News. April 6, 1921. p. 1
  5. ^ "Trinity Heights is Annexed to the City of Dallas." The Dallas Morning News. April 13, 1923, p. 13
  6. ^ "Mayor Has Plan for Municipal Golf Course." The Dallas Morning News. March 3, 1922, p. 10
  7. ^ Texas State Board of Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Standard Certificate of Death. No. 22242
  8. ^ "Sawnie R. Aldredge Former Mayor, Dies." The Dallas Morning News. May 14, 1949, p. 1