Kaufman Speech against the Wilmot Proviso
Center for American History
University of Texas at Austin

The first Texan to be seated in the federal House of Representatives was David S. Kaufman, a former Speaker of the House and Senator in the Congress of the Republic. He quickly made his presence known in Washington with this speech attacking the Wilmot Proviso, which sought to ban slavery in new territories acquired by the United States from Mexico. He served three terms.