Good - Latimer Expressway
This street is named after John Jay Good and James Wellington Latimer. The Latimer section follows the John Jay Good section.
John Jay Good organized a Confederate artillery battery during the Civil War and fought as a Captain. During Reconstruction he was elected judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District in Dallas, but was removed by Gen. Philip Sheridan for being an "impediment" to Reconstruction, which means Good was active in undermining Reconstruction, that is he was active in undermining the rights of African Americans.
This link at the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) gives some information, but I think it is deficient in explaining what happened during Reconstruction. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgo08
This extract is from "Grass-Roots Reconstruction in Texas," by the widely respected historian Randolph B. Campbell, pp. 73-75:
"During the Spring of 1867, Unionists and Horton concentrated their complaints on District Judge John J. Good, the former Confederate officer elected in 1866. They were especially upset with the judge's reaction to the so-called jury order issued by Gen. Charles C. Griffin on April 27, 1867, requiring all jurors to swear the test oath of 1862. General Griffin issued this order in response to objections that judges such as Good were not treating Unionists and freemen fairly, and he combined it with a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that prohibited denying any citizen equal rights of freeman on juries, a proposal that would be difficult since prospective jurors were chosen by the commissioner's court well in advance of district court sessions, and state law prohibited blacks from serving in that capacity. Griffin left the final interpretation up to "the local authorities whose duties it is to impanel juries."
Judge Good protested angrily to Governor Throckmorton that the order would "pollute the channels of justice" and stir up feelings that should have been buried with the war. "
[Griffin was an American officer attempting to support Reconstruction in Texas as was Lt. William H. Horton."
The book explains that Good adopted an interpretation which excluded African Americans and refused to allow African American jurors. On pages 74-75, the book explains that Good also worked as a Judge to help out violent attacks on Union white men and African Americans:
"Jones complained to Horton that the placement of loyalists on the grand jury meant nothing because Judge Good had permitted the court's bailiffs and deputies to warn those indicted for murdering Unionists during the war, giving criminals time to flee the county. In mid-August the "Loyal Citizens of Dallas County" wrote a letter to Elisha M. Pease, who had recently become governor upon the removal of Throckmorton by the military, making similar charges in the case of men accused of murdering a freedman."
In short John Jay Good was a criminal. He colluded in the murder of loyal white people and African Americans by making sure that those who murdered them would not face justice.
The TSHA handbook often has deficiencies. For example John Jay Good was a well known secessionist. Also the TSHA doesn't discuss what is documented about Good's hostility towards having African American jurors. In general I regard the TSHA as a convenient first stop to get some information to help get your started, but I never stop with the TSHA if I want to know the full story.
I recommend regarding John Jay Good the book, "Grass-Roots Reconstruction in Texas, 1865-1880," by Randolph B. Campbell, who is an excellent historian. The book is published by Louisiana State University. He is also the author of "An Empire for Slavery: The Peculiar Institution in Texas, 1821-1865," by Louisiana Statue University Press.
James Wellington Latimer died in 1859 due to an accident. He was the editor of the Dallas paper Herald, not to be confused with the Dallas Times Herald, starting in 1849. He was pro-slavery as an editor. Further research needs to be done.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fla47
John Jay Good organized a Confederate artillery battery during the Civil War and fought as a Captain. During Reconstruction he was elected judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District in Dallas, but was removed by Gen. Philip Sheridan for being an "impediment" to Reconstruction, which means Good was active in undermining Reconstruction, that is he was active in undermining the rights of African Americans.
This link at the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) gives some information, but I think it is deficient in explaining what happened during Reconstruction. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgo08
This extract is from "Grass-Roots Reconstruction in Texas," by the widely respected historian Randolph B. Campbell, pp. 73-75:
"During the Spring of 1867, Unionists and Horton concentrated their complaints on District Judge John J. Good, the former Confederate officer elected in 1866. They were especially upset with the judge's reaction to the so-called jury order issued by Gen. Charles C. Griffin on April 27, 1867, requiring all jurors to swear the test oath of 1862. General Griffin issued this order in response to objections that judges such as Good were not treating Unionists and freemen fairly, and he combined it with a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that prohibited denying any citizen equal rights of freeman on juries, a proposal that would be difficult since prospective jurors were chosen by the commissioner's court well in advance of district court sessions, and state law prohibited blacks from serving in that capacity. Griffin left the final interpretation up to "the local authorities whose duties it is to impanel juries."
Judge Good protested angrily to Governor Throckmorton that the order would "pollute the channels of justice" and stir up feelings that should have been buried with the war. "
[Griffin was an American officer attempting to support Reconstruction in Texas as was Lt. William H. Horton."
The book explains that Good adopted an interpretation which excluded African Americans and refused to allow African American jurors. On pages 74-75, the book explains that Good also worked as a Judge to help out violent attacks on Union white men and African Americans:
"Jones complained to Horton that the placement of loyalists on the grand jury meant nothing because Judge Good had permitted the court's bailiffs and deputies to warn those indicted for murdering Unionists during the war, giving criminals time to flee the county. In mid-August the "Loyal Citizens of Dallas County" wrote a letter to Elisha M. Pease, who had recently become governor upon the removal of Throckmorton by the military, making similar charges in the case of men accused of murdering a freedman."
In short John Jay Good was a criminal. He colluded in the murder of loyal white people and African Americans by making sure that those who murdered them would not face justice.
The TSHA handbook often has deficiencies. For example John Jay Good was a well known secessionist. Also the TSHA doesn't discuss what is documented about Good's hostility towards having African American jurors. In general I regard the TSHA as a convenient first stop to get some information to help get your started, but I never stop with the TSHA if I want to know the full story.
I recommend regarding John Jay Good the book, "Grass-Roots Reconstruction in Texas, 1865-1880," by Randolph B. Campbell, who is an excellent historian. The book is published by Louisiana State University. He is also the author of "An Empire for Slavery: The Peculiar Institution in Texas, 1821-1865," by Louisiana Statue University Press.
James Wellington Latimer died in 1859 due to an accident. He was the editor of the Dallas paper Herald, not to be confused with the Dallas Times Herald, starting in 1849. He was pro-slavery as an editor. Further research needs to be done.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fla47