ALDRICH, COLLIN (1801-1842). Collin Aldrich, first chief justice of Houston County, son of George and Polly (Bowen) Aldrich, Jr., was born on May 2, 1801, in Mendon, Massachusetts. His brother George came to Texas before the Texas Revolution,^qv formed a partnership with Robert Anderson Irion^qv of Nacogdoches in land trade, and later became first county surveyor of Houston County. Aldrich arrived in Red River County in 1829 and settled near Clarksville. In 1835 he obtained land on the Trinity River now in Houston County. He served as first postmaster at Aldrich (later Mustang Prairie) and helped organize the county government. He fought in the battle of San Jacinto^qv and was appointed chief justice of Houston County by Sam Houston^qv in 1837. His suitability for office was questioned by D. H. Campbell, a political adversary, who charged him with corruption and malpractice. Aldrich appealed to president-elect Mirabeau B. Lamar,^qv and in 1838 his appointment was confirmed. Aldrich and his wife, Elizabeth (Lawrence Crownover), had at least four children. Aldrich died in June 1842 in Houston County.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Armistead Albert Aldrich, The History of Houston County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1943). Robert Bruce Blake Research Collection, Steen Library, Stephen F. Austin State University; Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin; Texas State Archives, Austin; Houston Public Library, Houston. Joe E. Ericson, Judges of the Republic of Texas (1836-1846): A Biographical Directory (Dallas: Taylor, 1980).

Pamela Lynn Palmer