At the time, both districts were composed of Fannin and Lamar County Edwin L. Agnew was born on December 4, 1855, in Fannin County, Texas to Allen and Permelia (née Smith) Agnew.

His father, a planter by trade, is a native of South Carolina and his mother is from Mississippi.

Agnew was educated at Carlton College in Bonham, Texas, and graduated from the law department of Trinity University at Tehuacana in 1877 (Trinity University no longer has a campus in Tehuacana).

He took office on January 10, 1993,[3] succeeding William Henry Pope.

[2][1] After struggling with a two-year-long illness, Agnew died on the morning of February 16, 1919 at the age of 63.