Edward Conrad: Soldier and Politician in Early Texas History (1811–1836)
By: L. W. Kemp
Published: 1952
Updated: December 1, 1994
Edward Conrad, early soldier and politician, the son of John and Elizabeth (Kittera) Conrad, was born in Philadelphia in April 1811. He traveled to Texas through Natchitoches, Louisiana, in December 1835. On December 10, 1835, at Nacogdoches, he was made second lieutenant of the United States Independent Volunteer Cavalry under Benjamin L. Lawrence. At Bexar the company was consolidated with the Kentucky company of James Tarleton on December 25, 1835. On February 8, 1836, Conrad applied for land in Stephen F. Austin's colony, stating that he was single, a printer by trade, and had emigrated from Pennsylvania. Conrad was one of four representatives from Refugio Municipality at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos and there signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. He also served as a member of the committee to draft the Texas constitution. He left the convention early, however, to join the Texas army as a lieutenant in the regular infantry. Sam Houston later sent Conrad to New Orleans to recruit troops. On March 29, 1836, the day after he arrived in New Orleans, Conrad appears to have enrolled as a lieutenant under Francis W. Thornton. While serving with the company, he died at Victoria, Texas, on July 13 or 14, 1836.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
L. W. Kemp, “Conrad, Edward,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/conrad-edward.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
FCO43
- 1952
- December 1, 1994
