Francis Marion Henry
Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(Dec. 11, 1832 - April 21, 1911) The great great grandson of Patrick Henry; served army of the Confederacy before buying tract in Texarkana about 1873. Captain Henry was elected to Texas Senate in 1876. Built first brick home in city; donated site for Methodist church. A leading city attorney for 34 years, securing wide reputation as trial lawyer. All business firms of Texarkana closed in respect at his death. Recorded, 1967
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Francis Marion Henry, a great-great-grandson of the Revolutionary orator Patrick Henry, served in the Confederate army before buying land in the young town of Texarkana around 1873. Elected to the Texas Senate in 1876, he built the city's first brick home, donated ground for a Methodist church, and spent 34 years as a leading trial lawyer of wide repute. When he died in 1911, every business in Texarkana closed in his honor.
Why it matters
Henry's career shows how Confederate veterans became the civic architects of the New South, planting churches, courts, and law practices in the raw railroad towns of Reconstruction-era Texas.
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Related people
- · Francis Marion Henry
- · Patrick Henry
Themes & tags
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