John H. Reagan served in many political roles during his lifetime, including: Probate Judge in Henderson County Texas from 1846 - 1847, Representative in the Texas Legislature from 1847-1848, District Judge in Texas from 1852-1857, U.S. Congressman from Texas from 1857-1861, Representative from the Texas Provisional Congress Confederate States of America in 1861, Postmaster General of the Confederacy from 1861-1865, Secretary of the Treasury of the Confederacy in 1865, Delegate to the Convention Framing the Constitution of Texas in 1874-75, once again as U.S. Congressman from Texas from 1875-1887, Senator from Texas in the U.S. Congress from 1887-1891, and last but not least, Chairman of the Railroad Commission in Texas from 1891-1902. He was also among the original commissioners that organized the Texas State Historical Association. He died in March 1905 in Anderson County Texas and is buried in the East Hill section of the Palestine City Cemetery.
The certificate is one of the certificates he issued while serving as Postmaster General of the Confederacy. It assigns John Caudle as Postmaster of the Union Mills Post Office, located in Havanna County, Virginia.
