William Harding Mayes

Who was William Harding Mayes?

William Harding Mayes was Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Texas, a newspaperman who published the Brownwood Bulletin and founder of the University of Texas journalism school.

Born in Mayfield, Kentucky, Mayes was educated at Norton's English and Classical School in Tennessee, Paducah District Methodist College in Kentucky and Vanderbilt University. He practiced law in Kentucky in 1881 and in Texas from 1882-1886, serving as county attorney of Brown County, Texas from 1882-1883. He received an honorary doctorate of laws from Daniel Baker College in 1914.

Mayes purchased weekly newspapers in Brownwood, Texas in the 1880s and began the daily Brownwood Bulletin newspaper in 1900, which he published until 1914. He and his brother, H.F. Mayes, founded one of the earliest newspaper chains, owning Texas papers in Brady, Stephenville, Santa Anna, May, Ballinger and Dalhart.

Elected as Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1912 despite not campaigning for the position, he resigned in 1914 to become dean of the University of Texas journalism school. He also served as executive vice president of the Texas Centennial Committee of 1936.