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| | After brief study at the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] at [[Austin]], Bledsoe was admitted in 1890 to the State Bar of Texas, based on his independent preparation. He returned to Cleburne to practice law but relocated eighteen years later to Lubbock in 1908 in search of opportunities on the South Plains. He founded the Lubbock law firm, Bledsoe, Crenshaw and Dupree, later known as Crenshaw, Dupree and Milam. He worked to establish the South Plains Bar Association, was city attorney in Lubbock and a member of the local school board.<ref name=findagrave/> | | After brief study at the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] at [[Austin]], Bledsoe was admitted in 1890 to the State Bar of Texas, based on his independent preparation. He returned to Cleburne to practice law but relocated eighteen years later to Lubbock in 1908 in search of opportunities on the South Plains. He founded the Lubbock law firm, Bledsoe, Crenshaw and Dupree, later known as Crenshaw, Dupree and Milam. He worked to establish the South Plains Bar Association, was city attorney in Lubbock and a member of the local school board.<ref name=findagrave/> |
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| − | Bledsoe won a [[special election]] for state representative in House District 122 held on October 9, 1915, to schoose a successor to Representative Don H. Biggers, who resigned the seat.<ref name=lrl/> A story circulated that Bledsoe was out of town at the time of filing for the special election, and a handful of civic leaders placed his name in the Democratic [[primary election]].<ref name=findagrave/> On July 14, 1919, he won another special election in Senate District 29 to succeed William S. Bell, who died in office. He remained in District 29 from 1919 to 1925, when he began to represent Senate District 30]] for four more years until 1929.<ref name=lrl>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=2207&searchparams=chamber=S~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=Bledsoe~leaderNote=~leg=~party=Democrat~roleDesc=~Committee= | + | Bledsoe won a [[special election]] for state representative in House District 122 held on October 9, 1915, to schoose a successor to Representative Don H. Biggers, who resigned the seat.<ref name=lrl/> A story circulated that Bledsoe was out of town at the time of filing for the special election, and a handful of civic leaders placed his name in the Democratic [[primary election]].<ref name=findagrave/> On July 14, 1919, he won another special election in Senate District 29 to succeed William S. Bell, who died in office. He remained in District 29 from 1919 to 1925, when he began to represent Senate District 30]] for four more years until 1929.<ref name=lrl/> |
| − | |title=W. H. Bledsoe|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=May 31, 2020}}</ref>
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| | Representative Bledsoe chaired the House committee which in 1917 investigated [[Governor]] James Edward "Jim" Ferguson, Jr. (1871-1944), who was [[Impeachment|impeached]]<ref name=findagrave/> by the full House and convicted in the state Senate for misapplication of public funds and receiving $156,000 from an unnamed source.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe05 |title=Ferguson, James Edward|publisher=Texas State Historical Association: The Handbook of Texas Online |accessdate=May 31, 2020}}</ref> He also headed a committee that supervised the reform of the Texas Ranger Division.<ref name=findagrave/> | | Representative Bledsoe chaired the House committee which in 1917 investigated [[Governor]] James Edward "Jim" Ferguson, Jr. (1871-1944), who was [[Impeachment|impeached]]<ref name=findagrave/> by the full House and convicted in the state Senate for misapplication of public funds and receiving $156,000 from an unnamed source.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe05 |title=Ferguson, James Edward|publisher=Texas State Historical Association: The Handbook of Texas Online |accessdate=May 31, 2020}}</ref> He also headed a committee that supervised the reform of the Texas Ranger Division.<ref name=findagrave/> |