General Thomas J. Rusk
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
"[W side] Patriot Soldier [Seal of the State of Texas] Statesman Jurist RUSK [N & S sides blank] [E side] Erected by the state of TEXAS To the memory of GENERAL THOMAS J. RUSK Who fought for her liberty at San Jacinto Born in South Carolina Dec 5, 1808. Died at Nacogdoches, Texas July 29, 1857 He lived for Texas"
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Remembered as a patriot, soldier, statesman, and jurist, Thomas J. Rusk fought for Texas independence at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. The South Carolina native made Nacogdoches his home and gave much of his life to the young Republic and, later, the state. This monument, raised by the State of Texas, bears the simple tribute that "He lived for Texas."
Why it matters
Rusk stands among the founding generation who won and then governed Texas, bridging the battlefield of San Jacinto and the halls of the U.S. Senate.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Thomas J. Rusk
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Haden Edwards
Nacogdoches, TX
A Virginia-born empresario, Haden Edwards received a contract to settle American families around Nacogdoches but fell into bitter conflict with Mexican authorities and existing residents. In 1826-27 he led the short-lived Fredonian Rebellion, an early and premature bid for Anglo independence in Texas that collapsed quickly. A decade later, during the Texas Revolution, he was sent to the United States to raise funds for the cause.
Elias E. Hamilton
Nacogdoches, TX
A Georgia native who came west to Texas, Elias E. Hamilton took up arms in the Texas Revolution, fighting in the 1835 storming of Bexar and the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. He died young, in 1840, in the East Texas community of Douglass. His marker was raised by the State of Texas in 1936 for the centennial of independence.
John S. Roberts
Nacogdoches, TX
Once a sheriff in Natchitoches, Louisiana, John S. Roberts threw himself into the Texas cause, helping lead the 1832 Battle of Nacogdoches and commanding the Nacogdoches company in the 1835 storming of Bexar. He served in the 1835 Consultation and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. A Virginia native, he lived out his years in the town he had fought for, dying in 1871.
Site of the Home of Juan Antonio Padilla
Nacogdoches, TX
A native son of Nacogdoches, Juan Antonio Padilla rose to serve as land commissioner in 1829 and as vice-governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas, then took an active part in the Texas Revolution. He died in Houston in 1839, and his wife, Maria Montes del Padilla, died at their Nacogdoches home in 1846. A 1936 state marker honors the site where they lived.