On June 19, 1865, Union general Gordon Granger read the Emancipation Procla-mation (originally issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863) in Galveston, thus belatedly bringing about the freeing of 250,000 slaves in Texas. The event, now celebrated as "Juneteenth," eventually gave rise to an annual day of thanksgiving ceremonies, entertainment, picnics and reunions. In 1979 Gov. William P. Clements made the day a state holiday.