29
OFFICE OF THE Al-l-ORNEY GENERAL OF T’EXAG
AUSTIN
Ronorobls 2llLiac1J. Lawson
B6oretax-yof state
Awtin, Texae
Dear Sir: Attention8 Xr. Will Haan Riohardson
Opinion No. o-4005
Rar Dose Artiole 1315, Vernon's Arrnotated
Olrll Statutes, allow the revival 0r
suoh a OOrpoSaDion ae-the %n~&~s
Chrletlan Tempsranoe Union of the
State of Texas" after five gears
ha6 elaplledalma tha oharter expfrad,
and related queetlons?
Your letter of reoent dab.3re~uestidg;& oplalnion
of
this D6pWtiBsnt on the pwationa stated therein reaQ6 b Ipart
as follevia:
"We llreenolosln~ the orfginul oh-r of ~~,?W~JIEBJI'IJ
Qhristfan Teqeranos Union of the state of TezmP. You
~111 note that the oharter was granted on Auguetc4, 1084,
for a period of 50 years. The 50 year period expired on
August 4, 19%. The corporation now riehes to revive its
ohartar in aooordanoo with the.prorlsione of ArtlcS;i1.815.
That artlole provide8 that a oorporrtion 'leaprevive its
oharter with all tha privlloges and inmualtisa and right8
of property, reel and personal, exsroleed an4 he>d by it
at the date of t'Yeexgiratlbn oftite said oharter, by filing,
with tho oonsent of a majority of its stooicholclers,
a new
oharter*.
Tou will note tkxt the purpose of this oosporation ia
for 'the euppresaion of the trefiio of intoxioatlng liquora
in Taxaa and for suob Other purposss ea the Woina.n*e
Chrietian
Tempercmoe~Unionmay bee proger to adopt or oarry out for the
good of the sooiety'.
Honorable Willlm J. Law8on, page 8
"The plaos of businesr of.ths oorporation I8 given
at Denton, Tsxa6, with the provision that bu8inee8 map
be transaotsd at other plaoss as may fx~m tima to time
be designated by the dlraotors. The prsssnt ooqmratlon
has always held that tha prlnolpal place of businsse of
the corporation was in the horn of the president for eaoh
year, thus tha prinolpal plaoe or business ohangea with
the aleotlon of a naw prssident,
=A number OS queetlons arl8e In this oonnaotlont
"1. Doea Artlole 131!3allow the revival OS ruoh a
oorporation art8r.five yeare have elapsed sinoe tW
oharter expired?
“8. IS suoh Is the ease, xay the oorpbratlon usa tha
8a1w pWpO8a as 8tated In its original ohartar, or must
it bring its purpoaa within 80~ eubdivlsion of the pra8ent
act?
"3. fi[uclt
II.
pXilIOipd.+08 of buaineu8 b8 statad,
or 089 the prinolpal plao8 of bualnees be all,ou8dby the
oharter eaoh peer with the rlsotlon of a new pr8sidsnt?
-4. ff the ohart8r oan ba r8rlvad, will a majoritp
or the member8 br 8uffloIsnt where thars are no 8toakbolders
avan tkough the 8tatuteB 8paOifiOally mention 8tookholdw8.a
Artlole 1318, Vernon'8 motated Clvll Statutes, pro-
tld.8;
*OorporatIonm oreate for the support of b8navolent,
charitable, sduoational or aie8ionary un66rtaking8, the
support of any literary or seientifio undertakin$, the
aalntenanoe of a library.or the promotion of pa ntIn&
music or other fine arts, whose oharter baa rffp ixed by
liraitatlon may revive its ohartsr with all of the prirl-
leg68 and hwnun$blesand rights of property, real and
personal, areroia#l and held by it at thendate of the
expiration of lte said oharter, by filing, wltt~the
oonsent of the majority of ite stookholdera, a naw Ohmtar
undm the grovleiomi of thie oh8pter, reoiting therein
euoh original privilegee and iranunitIeeand rights of
property and by filing therewith a.asrtified oopy Of nuoh
original expired 04arter.n
Honorable Willlfm J. LeVsOIi,>ago 9
Article 1387, Verncn's knnotated Civil Statuter,
provides in part:
*A corporation is dlcsolved: (1) By the explratloa
of the time linited in i.tsoharter. ~. .*
It is otrteE in Thompson *On Corporations*, Thlr6
Edition, Volume 8, page 599n
"A OOrpCrnticnie diaeclved 1~60 f&o and lt8 DoWeir
-esa corporate entity ceaabs on the expiration of th8
period of time stated in the ohartbr or governing rtiatut8.
It is dead in law and its exietenoe a6 a ooqoratioa oan
only be eontimed thereafter by lrgl8latlro aetlon . . .*
It 18 further stat& in Thompron *On~Corporatloh8n,
I& the above zeationed voluz6 on page 584t
WLiterally ap8aklag, the 4lesalutlon at the gorplvtLon
lrrit8 18gaI death.
In other texm8, the dl88oIu$ion of tha
oorporatlon is such a termlhatlon 0r the entity as 8nd8
lte~oapaoitg to aot as a oorporate body."
Althotyh~oorporatlons are 61880lved 1980 faoto and.
their power as oorporat* eqtltlea 08a888 on the eqplntlon
0r the period,& tldubstate& ln Uulr oharter8, apparently
ArtiOlb 1315, Bupra, authorizes U$ 8mpower8 thO8e Oor@~tioIlll
areated for the support of benev6Uut, oharltablo, 8duOatlonaI
or missionary eta,, un(Lertaklng8to revive their ohartem whan
they have expkl by liai.tetlon, with all tha prtvil 88* i!B@@-
tier aad.rights of property, real a& personal, Y rod ana
8xero
held by themaat the Bate of the expiration.of tholr Oharter8~
A8 16 unaeretand the rim qu84btionpresenwd In your
inqtagrywei do not bare the puestion of renewal or aamndaunt 0r
a o$lrtb but the revival,of the 8aae aftat it he8 explrdl by
Ilzlltatba, az authorize& by Artiole 1315, BU x%* It ~111 bs
noted tWt this stetute m&ion8 ho time in w f:
loh ths reYlvaL
of the ohatier is to,be made. Therefore, we answ~wor your rlret
qubetion &Pi&e 8ffirmtlve.
-. -
32
~lionorabls
Wllllnn J. Lmmon, peg. 4
With referanoe to your sieoond queetiokit will be
noted that the pWpo@e Ole~ee of the oharter of the above
nsmeb oorporstlon is "this cormration Is benevolent, and
the purpoee for whioh it is formed, Is the su#?resaion of
the traffic of lntorioating liquors in Texas, and ror suoh
other purposes a8 the H'omantsChristian Temperanao bunion
may (108propor to adopt, or oarry out for the good of sooietp.
It 10 our oplnfoa that the oorporation must use tha
mae purposeolauae al stat68 in its original o&artrr. we do
not think the Legislature oontemplated that a obange OS the
purpot~ealause oould be aade by the ma&al a? the ol.d ahartor,
or any nm and acJditkona1powers or prloilogarwere to be
granted or obtained, but by the rwvira2 af the old oharter,
rhioh had expired by lmtationp, when raoired, under tho pro-
rioSona of Art1010 1313, the oorporatlon notid possess tm
886~ powers, rights and privllepr as it pos~sered under its
old ohartor.
In answerto your third question, it la out oplnlon
;eEa;he oorporation's prinoipaL plao! of busln~s must be
Ax-Mole 1304, Vornon~s Anaotatod 01~11 gtatutea,
tiumer~ter the information jrhia Stustbs oontained In a oharter
*
0r a private corporation. Among:&uoh requiTezLanteia round
srotion.3 thereof; which readsr
*The plaoe or @aoer where lts,busineas 18 to be
tranaaoted.n
(Also am the ohrr of!Sanders v, Farmera.'Stats Bank, 338 8. We.
635, and the oass or Pittsburg,Water Heator Company v. Bullivan,
t&3 s. w. 576) see our opinion fo. 0-249e, a oopy of whioh is
anolosed hemwI.th.
With refermoe to your fourth question, it will be
noted, that the above nadncOcorsrhtion is a non-etook 00mpany
and tht there are no stookholder6. Where them is no oapital
etook end no stockholders, an0 the oorgoration is a non-stook
oornpanyas ebove inentioned,we think that the ooneent of 0
majority of the uambere rlLl be euffioiont to authorise~ the
revival of the oharter of the above mentioned oorporation in
oomplianos with Article 1315, supra, even thou& said artlale
speoiflcelly mntions stockholder.!+.
Honoi'ableWllliau,J. Laweon, page 5
Ve am returning herewith the original ohartsr.
Trusting tkt the loregoing tally anawer8 your inquiry,
we 82-e
Your0 very truly
ATTO.RN%Y
GFBEFWL red911 WillIama
Aeslstnnt