Albert B. Phillips (May 5, 1859 - May 28, 1919)
Long before integration shaped Austin’s landscape, Albert Phillips left an enduring legacy among Austin’s public officials.
Phillips grew up in the Texas Panhandle, mastering the art of cowboy life in an era when cattle drives defined the West. After losing his cattle herd in a brutal winter, he moved to Austin with his wife and children. He lived on New York Avenue a few blocks from Bethany Cemetery and became a camp cook for businessmen on fishing and hunting trips.
Known for tales drawn from his life as a cowboy—brushes with Native Americans, encounters with wildlife, and cowboy exploits—he was cherished by his companions and employers. He soon attracted a devoted following, including prominent figures like judges, attorneys, and the postmaster general. Phillips would stay connected to these powerful men from turn-of-the-century life in Austin when he worked as a porter at the Supreme Court of Texas during the later years of his life.
Though valued for his wisdom, humor, and skills, and even considered a friend, Phillips' relationship with these powerful people is still marked by the realities of his time. After his death, the Austin American described him in a death announcement as “a credit to his race,” stating that “he knew his place and to the last was a negro.”
Over 40 white men who were influential in state and national politics attended his funeral. Judge R. L. Batts of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals delivered the funeral oration. “If the education which comes from printed books had denied him, he was a rare reader of the great volume of learning writ before man was.”
Albert B Phillips: "A. B. Phillips was a man of many talents. He was a champion cowboy roper and worked as a porter at the chambers of the Texas Supreme Court. His mother, Annie Walton, was a slave and she is buried near him in Bethany. His wife was named Emmaline.". His father, a white man brought A.B a piece of land on New York Avenue. He was held in high esteem and said to be a credit to his race. Supreme Court Judge Will Hart did the Eulogy for his Funeral. His headstone reads; Erected by his white friends in appreciation of a rugged, honest, and faithful character.
