By 1856, Stockdale had moved to Calhoun County, which he represented in the Texas Senate from 1857 to 1861.

Stockdale was an executive member of the 1861 Secession Convention that was held in Austin.

Lawlessness, Indian attacks, and severe deterioration of the government during the American Civil War had plagued his 18-month tenure as a political executive in Texas.

[1] In the late 1860s, Stockdale served as president of the Indianola Railroad and promoted the development of refrigerated cars for carrying beef to markets.

Stockdale's first wife, Elizabeth Pryor Bankhead Lytle, died on April 17, 1865.