Cudellas Dent Waide

WAIDE, CUDELLAS DENT (1890-1971) Cudellas Dent Waide, Assistant Adjutant General of Texas, was born September 9, 1890, in Woodruff County, Arkansas, to William Sherwood Waide, of Clinton County, Kentucky, and Emma Postell Riddle, of Raleigh, North Carolina. Sometime before 1900, the family moved to Texas and settled in Paint Rock, Concho County. Waide attended Baylor University from 1909 to 1911, but left before receiving his degree. He, more than likely, left to pursue a career in journalism, as he was later assigned to Austin to cover the state legislature in 1915.

At the beginning of World War I, Waide joined the National Guard and entered officers' training camp at Camp Leon Springs, Texas, where he was commissioned as a captain in the U. S. Army, on August 15, 1917. That next year, he was sent overseas with the 157th Infantry as a part of the American Expeditionary Forces. In all, he spent eight months fighting in Europe, August 11, 1918, to April 11, 1919, before returning home, where he was discharged from the Army on May 17, 1919. However, Waide continued to serve in the National Guard and was appointed captain on October 19, 1923, was promoted to major on April 1, 1925, and was ultimately discharged on February 1, 1929.

During this time, Waide returned to his career as a reporter and married Marguerite D. Le Clercq, with whom he had four daughters: Margot, Elizabeth, Eugenie and Adelaide. Sadly, though, Marguerite died in 1937, and Waide later married Jane Ellis.

Because of his close friendship with many of Texas' legislators and his service in the National Guard, Waide was appointed Assistant Adjutant General of Texas by Governor Miriam Ferguson. He signed his oath of office on September 1, 1933, and was commissioned a colonel and worked under the Adjutant General of Texas, Brigadier General Henry Hutchings, until he resigned on March 31, 1935.

Following his resignation, Waide, once again, returned to his newspaper career, where he continued to cover the legislature and provide his close friend, actor, broadcaster and humorist, Will Rogers, with political commentary for his syndicated column. On September 9, 1950, Colonel Waide was further honored by the State of Texas, when Governor Allan Shivers named him an Honorary Admiral in the Texas Navy, because of his service in the United States Army and Texas National Guard during World War I.

After a long and successful career as a Texas newspaper reporter and state official, Cudellas Dent Waide passed away on June 29, 1971, in Houston, and was honored, once again, by the State of Texas, when he was given special permission by Governor Price M. Daniel to be buried in the state's premier burial ground, the Texas State Cemetery.

Information taken from: Materials provided by the Texas National Guard, Camp Mabry Texas; granddaughter, Carol Morse Longmire and Death Certificate # 42038.