Representative Review

Corsicana, Texas

City in the United States in Navarro County

About Corsicana

Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. Corsicana is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is located on Interstate 45, 50 mi (80 km) southeast of Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important agribusiness center.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How Corsicana is governed

Form of government not yet listed.

1 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

Residents of Corsicana

Registered voters elect the officials below.

  • Mayor

    Executive

    • Mike Fletcher per Wikidata

    The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

    • City Manager / Administrator

      Executive

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

  • City Council

    Legislative

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

    • City Clerk

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

    • City Attorney

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

    • Boards & Commissions

      Legislative

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      Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

  • Municipal Court

    Judicial

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 75109 or everyone in Texas.

Population over time

From 23,770 in 2010 to 25,109 in 2020 (+5.6%).

2010 2020
Show the numbers
YearPopulation
202025,109
201023,770

History

Founded in 1848, Corsicana was named by José Antonio Navarro after the Mediterranean island of Corsica, the birthplace of his father. He had died when Navarro and his many siblings were young. The first school opened shortly afterwards in 1849.

Women's groups have had a strong role throughout the history of the city. They established the Corsicana Female Literary Institute, a school that operated from 1857 through 1870. The first public library in Corsicana opened in 1901 by effort of the women's clubs of the city. A 1905 library matching gift by Andrew Carnegie gave the library a permanent home and its first full-time, professionally trained librarian. The library today is housed in a dedicated building downtown and boasts more than 52,283 books, 6,306 audio materials, 783 video materials, and 122 serial subscriptions.

The Corsicana YMCA was founded in 1884, and has grown with patron funding. In its earliest days, it was supported by George Taylor Jester (1847–1922), a wealthy dry-goods and cotton distributor, banker, store clerk and politician. He served as lieutenant governor of Texas (1895–1899), and his son Beauford H. Jester served as governor (1947–1949).

Oil was accidentally discovered in June, 1894, by the American Well and Prospecting Company, hired by the Corsicana Water Development Company, when oil seeped into an artesian well being drilled within the city limits. In October 1895, the first commercial oil well was drilled by the Corsicana Oil Development Company, founded by Ralph Beaton, H.G. Damon, and John Davidson. It was the first commercially significant oilfield find in Texas. A refinery was in operation by January 1899, through the efforts of Joseph S. Cullinan. The Powell oil field was discovered in 1900, a few miles east of Corsicana. Rotary drilling, used to drill water wells, was introduced to the oil industry by M.C. Baker and C.E. Baker, with tools manufactured by the American Well and Prospecting machine shop, owned by N.G. Johnson, E.H. Akin, and Charles Rittersbacker.

During World War II, an airman flying school called Corsicana Air Field trained thousands of pilots.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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