US Congressman. He served in the Texas state legislature from 1893 to 1895 and went back to ranching and his business interests. He was later elected to Congress, serving from 1897 to 1919. After his retirement from Congress, he returned to full-time management of his business interests, which included an orchard in Virginia, a ranch in Texas, and mines in Mexico. He was active in Democratic Party politics and was elected in 1892 to the State House of Representatives in the 23rd legislature. He declined to be a candidate for re-nomination and returned to ranching. In 1896 he was elected as a Democrat from Texas' 12th congressional district to the 55th United States Congress. He and his wife Ellen moved to Washington, DC where they established a home for 21 years. He was re-elected in 1898 and 1900, serving in total from 1897 to 1903. He was temporarily redistricted to Texas' 14th congressional district, which was created after the 1900 census and included Galveston and areas south of it along the coast. In the 1902 election, he ran as a candidate and was re-elected from the 12th congressional district, and continued to be re-elected, serving until 1919. As a legislator and later as a congressman, he promoted the growth of the railroad system in Texas, which stimulated the growth of inland cities such as San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth, creating a pattern of development different from older eastern states, whose major cities were still based in coastal ports. In the US Congress, as a member of the Committee on Military Affairs, he encouraged the expansion of Fort Sam Houston. He was significant in developing San Antonio as a United States military center. After losing his bid for appointment as President Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of War, he declined re-nomination to run for Congress in 1918. In October 1910, he was appointed by Andrew Carnegie as one of the original trustees of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For several years he was president of the American Peace Society. He was also elected as chairman of the American group of the Interparliamentary Union. He was also active in various fraternal organizations as a Freemason, an Elk, a member of St. Anthony Hall, and an Odd Fellow. In addition, he was a longtime member of the Episcopal Church.