Second Court of Appeals

Justice Place 3

Ocie Speer (1902 to 1914)

Ocie Speer was born near Alvarado, Texas, on April 1, 1869. He attended National Normal University before being admitted to the bar in 1890. He was elected Fisher County attorney that same year and served until 1902 when he was appointed by Governor Joseph Sayers as a justice for the Second Court of Appeals.

He served on the court until 1914 before returning to private practice. In 1925, he joined the Commission of Appeals of the Supreme Court of Texas. After leaving that position in 1929, he served in many different roles, including assistant attorney general, counsel to the state banking commissioner, and counsel to the state banking department, before retiring in 1953.

During his career, he wrote over 2,700 opinions. He served as a contributing editor for Texas Jurisprudence and as president of the Texas Women’s College Board of Trustees. Speer died on April 11, 1959, in Austin, Texas, and was buried in Austin Memorial Park.