Albert R. Mace
Mexia, Limestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(April 30, 1872 - Oct. 18, 1938) A peace officer 45 years, Mace joined Texas Rangers at age 21. He became deputy sheriff in Lampasas County in 1903; later served 12 years as sheriff. He was president of the Texas Sheriffs Association, 1920; chief of police in oil boom towns of Mexia and Borger (1821-1930) and in Corpus Christi (1933-1934). Was Captain of Ranger Co. "D" (1931-1933) when the east Texas oil fields were under martial law. He died in service. Recorded--1968
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Albert R. Mace pinned on a badge at twenty-one as a Texas Ranger and spent forty-five years in law enforcement, rising to county sheriff, president of the state sheriffs' association, and chief of police in some of the roughest oil-boom towns of the 1920s. He commanded a Ranger company during the martial-law days of the East Texas oil fields and, true to a lifetime in harness, died still in service.
Why it matters
His career traces the long arc of Texas frontier justice into the lawless, get-rich chaos of the twentieth-century oil booms.
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Related people
- · Albert R. Mace
Related events
- · East Texas oil field martial law
Themes & tags
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