Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SCR33 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Rodríguez S.C.R. No. 33
2		-	(Blanco)
	1	+	S.C.R. No. 33
3	2
4	3
5	4		SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	5		WHEREAS, On September 8, 1849, Major Jefferson Van Horne and
7	6		a contingent of United States Army troops arrived in the vicinity of
8	7		present-day El Paso to establish a post on the Rio Grande, the first
9	8		American military encampment in an area that has hosted United
10	9		States armed forces now for more than a century and a half; and
11	10		WHEREAS, A native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jefferson
12	11		Van Horne was born to Dorothy Johns Marple Van Horne and General
13	12		Isaac Van Horne, a veteran of the American Revolution; following
14	13		the family tradition of military service, he graduated from the
15	14		United States Military Academy at West Point in 1827 and upheld its
16	15		motto of "Duty, Honor, Country" throughout his life; and
17	16		WHEREAS, His early assignments included frontier duty at
18	17		Jefferson Barracks in Missouri and a tour at Fort Smith, Arkansas;
19	18		from 1846 to 1848, he served his country in the Mexican War, and his
20	19		distinguished efforts earned him promotion to the rank of major;
21	20		and
22	21		WHEREAS, While on leave in his hometown of Zanesville, Ohio,
23	22		Jefferson Van Horne met Mary Gilbert, and after exchanging romantic
24	23		letters for two years, the couple were married on November 28, 1850;
25	24		they had one son, Lewis Cass Van Horne; and
26	25		WHEREAS, In May 1849, Major Van Horne was instructed to
27	26		establish a military post on the north bank of the Rio Grande,
28	27		opposite what is now Ciudad Juarez, for the purpose of protecting
29	28		both settlers in the area and travelers bound for California from
30	29		Indian attack; he departed Camp Salado, on the outskirts of San
31	30		Antonio, on June 1, commanding regimental staff, six companies of
32	31		the Third Infantry, and a howitzer battery; his party of nearly 260
33	32		soldiers was accompanied by some 100 civilians who played a
34	33		supporting role; and
35	34		WHEREAS, With 275 wagons, the expedition represented the
36	35		longest wagon train to embark westward across Texas; after 100 days
37	36		and a 643-mile overland march, Major Van Horne and his men reached
38	37		their destination on September 8, 1849; Major Van Horne
39	38		subsequently quartered four companies at Coon's Rancho, where
40	39		downtown El Paso now stands, and sent two companies to garrison the
41	40		old Spanish presidio at San Elizario, 20 miles to the southeast; and
42	41		WHEREAS, In September 1851, the War Department closed both
43	42		the post at Coon's Rancho and the presidio and ordered Major Van
44	43		Horne and most of his troops to Fort Fillmore, 40 miles north of El
45	44		Paso, near Mesilla, New Mexico; Major Van Horne had recruiting duty
46	45		from 1852 to 1854, and between 1855 and 1857 he served at Fort
47	46		Stanton, New Mexico, and at the Post of Albuquerque; he died in
48	47		Albuquerque on September 26, 1857; and
49	48		WHEREAS, A new army post was established on the site of
50	49		present-day El Paso in January 1854, and in March of that year it
51	50		was named Fort Bliss after Lieutenant Colonel William Bliss, a
52	51		career army officer and an accomplished scholar who was also the
53	52		son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor; the fort acquired a
54	53		permanent location in El Paso in 1893; and
55	54		WHEREAS, The post that Major Jefferson Van Horne established
56	55		at the site of present-day El Paso served to protect a vital route
57	56		for a dynamic and burgeoning nation pushing westward and marked the
58	57		beginning of a long and close association between the United States
59	58		military and the people of El Paso, and it is indeed fitting that
60	59		the anniversary of his arrival at the Pass of the North be
61	60		commemorated; now, therefore, be it
62	61		RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
63	62		hereby designate September 8 as Major Jefferson Van Horne Day in the
64	63		State of Texas; and, be it further
65	64		RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
66	65		391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
67	66		until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
68	67		passed by the legislature.
	68	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	69	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	70	+	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 33 was adopted by the Senate
	71	+	on April 30, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	72	+	______________________________
	73	+	Secretary of the Senate
	74	+	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 33 was adopted by the House
	75	+	on May 19, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 141, Nays 0, one
	76	+	present not voting.
	77	+	______________________________
	78	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	79	+	Approved:
	80	+	______________________________
	81	+	Date
	82	+	______________________________
	83	+	Governor