' 26 state races: Railroad Commissioner PROGRESSIVE VIEWS EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles where Progressive View writers explain what various statewide offices do.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is celebrating 135 years as the state's oldest and first regulatory agency.

In 1891, Gov. Jim Hogg saw an abusive railroad industry and pushed the Legislature to establish the RRC to provide oversight of rates and operations of railroads, terminals, and wharves.