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On August 30, 1919, Baldwin won a [[special election]] for House District 122 to succeed his fellow Democrat, [[William Bledsoe|William Harrison Bledsoe]] of Lubbock, who was elected to the state Senate. Baldwin did not take his oath of office until May 20, 1920.<ref name=lrl/>

On August 30, 1919, Baldwin won a [[special election]] for House District 122 to succeed his fellow Democrat, [[William Bledsoe|William Harrison Bledsoe]] of Lubbock, who was elected to the state Senate. Baldwin did not take his oath of office until May 20, 1920.<ref name=lrl/>

In 1923, as barely a third term member of the legislature, Baldwin joined with Senator Bledsoe to support Senate Bill 103, with a $1 million appropriation, to establish a four-year educational institution in West Texas with an emphasis on agricultural research. The school would be separate from [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], which had a similar mission and whose leadership opposed the new institution. Bledsoe confessed to having drawn up the requirements for the host city to fit only Lubbock, which was select] in Kendall County barely northwest of [[San Antonio]]. Vernon, located west of [[Wichita Falls]] claimed it should be selected because of its [[railroad]] access; at the time Vernon had more than one thousand more people than Lubbock.<ref name=wtha/>

In 1923, as barely a third term member of the legislature, Baldwin joined with Senator Bledsoe to support Senate Bill 103, with a $1 million appropriation, to establish a four-year educational institution in West Texas with an emphasis on agricultural research. The school would be separate from [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], which had a similar mission and whose leadership opposed the new institution. Bledsoe confessed to having drawn up the requirements for the host city to fit only Lubbock, which was selected over thirty-six other locations, including [[San Angelo, Texas|San Angelo]] (before the existence of Angelo State University), [[Midland]], Plainview, Brownwood, Lampasas, Big Spring, and even Boerne in Kendall County] in Kendall County barely northwest of [[San Antonio]]. Vernon, located west of [[Wichita Falls]] claimed it should have been selected because of its [[railroad]] access; at the time Vernon led in population, having a thousand more people than Lubbock.<ref name=wtha/>

Though the site selection committee traveled to all the communities seeking to become the location of the new college, but the fix was in from the start. To win the competition, Lubbock was allowed to amend its initial application to account for eighty more acres so that it could meet the two thousand acres required in the legislation for the chosen location. In time, Texas Tech, originally '''Texas Technological College,''' helped to make Lubbock the largest city of West Texas, excluding [[El Paso]] in the far southwestern corner of the state. Representative [[Richard Chitwood]], the chairman of the House Education Committee, thought his city of Sweetwater in Nolan County far better suited for the new institution as the "central" location of West Texas. When Lubbock was chosen, Chitwood was given a patronage consolation as business manager of the new institution.<ref name=wtha>Zach Dowdle, "In the Land of Sandstorms and Sand: Locating Texas Technological College in  1923," ''West Texas Historical Review,''  Vol. LXL (2014), pp. 75-102.</ref>  

Though the site selection committee traveled to all the communities seeking to become the location of the new college, but the fix was in from the start. To win the competition, Lubbock was allowed to amend its initial application to account for eighty more acres so that it could meet the two thousand acres required in the legislation for the chosen location. In time, Texas Tech, originally '''Texas Technological College,''' helped to make Lubbock the largest city of West Texas, excluding [[El Paso]] in the far southwestern corner of the state. Representative Richard Mortimer Chitwood (1878-1926), the chairman of the House Education Committee, thought his city of Sweetwater in Nolan County far better suited for the new institution as the "central" location of West Texas. When Lubbock was chosen, Chitwood was given a patronage consolation as business manager of the new institution.<ref name=wtha>Zach Dowdle, "In the Land of Sandstorms and Sand: Locating Texas Technological College in  1923," ''West Texas Historical Review,''  Vol. LXL (2014), pp. 75-102.</ref>  

Chitwood was the business manager of Texas Tech for only fifteen months; he died in November 1926 in a [[Dallas]] hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Chitwood&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=46&GScnty=2696&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=15513681&df=all&|title=Richard Mortimer Chitwood|publisher=findagrave.com|accessdate=October 20, 2020}}</ref>

Chitwood was the business manager of Texas Tech for only fifteen months; he died in November 1926 in a [[Dallas]] hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Chitwood&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=46&GScnty=2696&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=15513681&df=all&|title=Richard Mortimer Chitwood|publisher=findagrave.com|accessdate=October 20, 2020}}</ref>

   

   

Baldwin died in 1940 at the age of fifty-five; he is interred at Englewood Cemetery in Slaton. His grave marker reads: "Jurist-Author-Legislator; Co-Author of Bill Creating Texas Technological College".<ref name=findagrave>{{cite web|url=http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10515728|title=Roy Alvin Baldwin|publisher=findagrave.com|accessdate=October 20, 2020}}</ref>

Baldwin died in 1940 at the age of fifty-five; he is interred at Englewood Cemetery in Slaton. His grave marker reads: "Jurist-Author-Legislator; Co-Author of Bill Creating Texas Technological College".<ref name=findagrave>{{cite web|url=http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10515728|title=Roy Alvin Baldwin|publisher=findagrave.com|accessdate=October 21, 2020}}</ref>

 

==References==

==References==

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