Andrew Jackson Hamilton returned to Texas on July 21, 1865 to take the job no one else wanted – presidentially appointed provisional governor.

A scalawag stooge in the eyes of most Texans, Jack Hamilton was caught in the political middle. Hated on principle by former Confederates, fellow Republicans bent on punishing the secessionists were just as hostile to his moderate plans. Even his own flesh and blood stood against him.

Six years the elder, Morgan Hamilton was the first of the Alabama-b...