Jefferson Beaumont
Port Lavaca, Calhoun County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In whose honor Jefferson County, Texas was named Chief Justice of Calhoun County 1848-1856. Born in Kentucky March 12, 1801 died July 25, 1865.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Kentucky in 1801, Jefferson Beaumont served as chief justice of Calhoun County from 1848 to 1856 during the early years of Texas statehood. It was in his honor that Jefferson County, Texas, took its name. He died in 1865 on the Gulf Coast he had helped govern.
Why it matters
His name, carried by a whole Texas county, reflects how the young state honored the local officials who built its first courts and governments.
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Related people
- · Jefferson Beaumont
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Wiley George
Port Lavaca, TX
Born in North Carolina in 1797, Wiley George enlisted in the Georgia militia at seventeen and fought in the War of 1812. After years in Georgia and Alabama he came to Texas in 1840, settling first in San Antonio and then moving to Port Lavaca in 1848, where he speculated in horses and built a fine home. He died in 1862 and lies in an unmarked grave in the Port Lavaca Cemetery.
Calhoun County
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Calhoun County was carved from three neighboring counties in the spring of 1846, just as Texas was joining the United States, and organized that July with Port Lavaca as its seat. It was named for John C. Calhoun, the South Carolina statesman, congressman, cabinet officer, and vice president whose long career shaped—and divided—antebellum national politics. The county's Gulf-coast location made its port a gateway for goods and settlers.
Calhoun County Hurricanes
Port Lavaca, TX
Hurricanes have shaped Calhoun County's history as powerfully as any human event, their high winds, rains, and tidal surges repeatedly reordering life along Matagorda Bay. Entire towns vanished to 19th-century storms, including Indianola—a major Gulf seaport and the county seat—and the Republic-era port of Saluria on Matagorda Island. Alongside the loss of property and life run enduring stories of survival and rebuilding.
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