O.H. Moore
Otho Harris Moore was born December 9, 1883 in Celeste, Hunt County, Texas. His parents were Fletcher Coke Moore (Sept. 4, 1853-Mar. 12, 1938) and Lizzie Brown Moore. Around 1887, the family moved to a farm in Erath County near Victor where O.H. grew up. When he was 12 years old he was shooting an old black powder gun. It exploded resulting in Moore losing his left arm. That loss certainly did not hold him back in life.
When, in 1899 the assistant teacher at the two teacher school in Victor quit, the head teacher asked Moore then 16 years old, to take over the class until a new teacher could be found. Although he went unpaid for his efforts, it was the start of what became a forty-four year teaching career. But Moore was not just a teacher, he was also a licensed pharmacist, Post Master of Victor, a member of the Texas Legislature, Justice of the Peace and Municipal Judge of De Leon, and headed up the De Leon Chamber of Commerce for a number of years.
He followed his initial experience as a substitute in Victor by earning his teaching certificate and the next year returned to Victor as the assistant teacher with full pay. He attended Hankins Normal College in Gorman, John Tarleton College in Stephenville and the University of Texas. On December 18, 1906 he was appointed Post Master in Victor but apparently returned to teaching only a few months later as a new Post Master was appointed in July 1907.
On May 24, 1916, Moore married Vida Hill of Carlton, Hamilton County, Texas. They had five children, Bartene Moore (Barnes), Herschel H. Moore, Maurine Moore (Wychopen), and Bonnie Moore (Singleton) all born in De Leon and J. Doss Moore who was born in Jakehamon. He was the uncle of singer Winston Lee Moore better known as Slim Willet.
By 1909 he was teaching at Robinson Springs.
He taught in De Leon for nine years serving as principal at North Ward after it was completed in late 1919 or early 1920 and continued there through the spring of 1926.
The family then moved to Jakehamon in July 1926 where he served as Superintendent and teacher for seven years through the ’32-’33 school year.
His teaching career concluded at Downing during the 1942-43 school year when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. As a Freshman in the 48th Session of the Legislature (1/21/1943–1/9/1945), he served on the Congressional and Legislative Districts Committee, the Constitutional Amendments Committee, the Education Committee, the Highways and Roads Committee, the Old Age Assistance/Social Security and Special Committee, and the State Eleemosynary and Reformatory Institutions Committee. In his second term (1/9/1945–1/9/1945–1/14/1947) he was Vice Chair of the Congressional and Legislative Districts Committee and served on the Public Printing and State eleemosynary and Reformatory Institutions Committees.
He later helped organize the De Leon Community Club which was the predecessor to the Chamber of Commerce serving as its secretary for a number of years. He worked for Dun & Bradstreet and was the De Leon correspondent for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Around 1953 he became Justice of the Peace and the Municipal Judge in De Leon and was still serving in both capacities at his death on December 27, 1959. He is buried in the De Leon Cemetery.