William Lewis Cabell
14th, 16th and 20th mayor of Dallas (1827–1911)

William Lewis Cabell (January 1, 1827 – February 21, 1911) was an American engineer, lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 14th, 16th and 20th mayor of Dallas (1874–1876, 1877–1879 and 1883–1885). Prior to that, he was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War.
Early life and education
William Lewis Cabell was born in Danville, Virginia. Cabell had seven brothers. Six of them held prominent positions in the Confederate States Army. Another brother died just prior to the American Civil War from an arrow wound received in Florida. Cabell graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1850 and joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant with the 7th U.S. Infantry. In June 1855, he was promoted to first lieutenant and appointed as regimental quartermaster on the staff of General Persifor F. Smith.
American Civil War
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Cabell returned to Little Rock, Arkansas, and offered his services to Arkansas Governor Rector. In April 1861, he received a telegram from the Confederate States government and went to Richmond, Virginia, to assist in the establishment of the commissary, quartermaster, and ordnance departments for the Confederate military.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “William Lewis Cabell” as 14th, 16th and 20th mayor of Dallas (1827–1911). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as 14th, 16th and 20th mayor of Dallas (1827–1911). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2579732. VIAF identifies the subject as 187127193. The Library of Congress control number is no2011156482. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1827, 1911, 1874 and 1876.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “William Lewis Cabell”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow William Lewis Cabell primary sources, William Lewis Cabell archive and William research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “William Lewis Cabell”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “William Lewis Cabell” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.