Richard Ellis (February 14, 1781 – December 20, 1846) was an American plantation owner, politician, and judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Alabama. He was president of the Convention of 1836 that declared Texas' independence from Mexico and he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Later, Ellis served in the Republic of Texas legislature.
Early life and education
Ellis was born on February 14, 1781, likely in Lunenburg County, Virginia. After receiving a common-school education, he possibly attended college (although no record has survived). He studied law under the Richmond legal firm Wirt and Wickham and was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1806. He was elected a delegate to Alabama's Constitutional Convention in 1818, which created the framework for the state’s admission to the Union. In 1819, he was elected judge of the Fifth Circuit Court, a position that also made him an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama.
Ellis was known for his strict courtroom demeanor, earning a reputation for firm administration but also alienating some members of the bar with his rough manner. In 1829, he co-founded La Grange College in Franklin County, Alabama, and served on its first board of trustees.
Initial move to Texas
Ellis first visited Texas in 1826, attempting to collect a debt from a local colonel. That same year, he participated in an unsuccessful diplomatic mission alongside James Kerr and James Cummins to persuade Haden Edwards to abandon his rebellion against the Mexican government. In defiance of the Mexican immigration ban, he established a substantial cotton plantation and gained a reputation for his hospitality and refined estate.
Although he was selected as a delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention of 1836, he declined due to ill health. Shortly thereafter, he was elected as one of six delegates from the Pecan Point area to the Texas Constitutional Convention.<!-- There isn't much else regarding his legacy, as he was mostly forgetting not long after his death. If there is any available information regarding this subject, additions would be greatly appreciated. -->