Nacogdoches in Nacogdoches County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Thomas Jefferson Rusk

(1803-1857)

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, April 24, 2023

1. Thomas Jefferson Rusk Marker

Inscription. Born in South Carolina, Thomas Jefferson Rusk showed an early aptitude for the law, passing the bar at age twenty-one. He began to practice law in Georgia, where he married Mary F. Cleveland in 1827.

Rusk was so taken with Nacogdoches that he sent for his family and became a citizen of Mexico in 1835. Quickly becoming involved in the independence movement, he organized a group of Nacogdoches volunteers and joined Stephen F. Austin's army. The provisional government named him inspector general of the army. He signed the Texas Declaration of Independence as a delegate from Nacogdoches and was appointed secretary of war. Rusk fought with Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto and was briefly commander in chief of the army of the Republic of Texas. After the war, Rusk was again appointed secretary of war and major general of the Texas Militia. Elected to the Republic of Texas Congress, he chaired the House Military Committee. In 1840, he retired from his position as chief justice of the State Supreme Court to return to a successful law practice in Nacogdoches, but he was called again to the militia in 1843 and was soon

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elected major general by the Congress. Returning home in June, Rusk focused his energies on the establishment of Nacogdoches University.

Following his term as president of the convention of 1845 to annex Texas to the United States, Rusk was elected to a U. S. Senate seat in 1846. He and Senator Sam Houston established the southwestern boundary of Texas, and he promoted construction of a transcontinental railroad route through Texas. Mary Rusk died of tuberculosis in 1856, and an ill and despondent T. J. Rusk took his own life in 1857.

Erected 1998 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12105.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, Texas Independence.

Location. 31° 37.275′ N, 94° 38.955′ W. Marker is in Nacogdoches, Texas, in Nacogdoches County. It can be reached from Alumni Drive. The marker is in front of the Rusk Building on the Stephen F. Austin State University Campus. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1936 North St, Nacogdoches TX 75965, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, April 24, 2023

2. Thomas Jefferson Rusk Marker

this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Rusk Building (here, next to this marker); The University Tradition in Nacogdoches (a few steps from this marker); Pioneering Higher Education in East Texas (within shouting distance of this marker); Alton W. Birdwell (within shouting distance of this marker); Paul Lewis Boynton (within shouting distance of this marker); Stephen Fuller Austin (within shouting distance of this marker); Austin Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dr. Joseph William Kennedy, Jr (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nacogdoches.

Also see . . . Rusk, Thomas Jefferson (1803–1857). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

Thomas Jefferson
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, April 24, 2023

3. Thomas Jefferson Rusk Marker
The marker is on the right and the Rusk Building Marker is on the left.
Rusk, soldier and statesman, the oldest of seven children of John and Mary (Sterritt) Rusk, was born in Pendleton District, South Carolina, on December 5, 1803. His father was an Irish stonemason immigrant. The family rented land from John C. Calhoun, who helped Rusk secure a position in the office of the Pendleton County district clerk, where he could earn a living while studying law. After admission to the bar in 1825, Rusk began his law practice in Clarksville, Georgia. In 1827 he married Mary F. (Polly) Cleveland, the daughter of Gen. Benjamin Cleveland. Rusk became a business partner of his father-in-law after he and Polly married. He lived in the gold region of Georgia and made sizable mining investments. In 1834, however, the managers of the company in which he had invested embezzled all the funds and fled to Texas. Rusk pursued them to Nacogdoches but never recovered the money. He did, however, decide to stay in Texas.

(Submitted on April 29, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 308 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 27, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.