Pecan Point Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence
Hooks, Bowie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Five of the most prominent delegates to the Constitutional Convention of Texas, held March, 1836, hailed from Pecan Point, in this vicinity. Richard Ellis (an attorney and judge) was chosen president of the meeting and later served four terms in the Senate of the Republic. Collin McKinney (a magistrate) helped draft the declaration and served three terms in the house. A. H. Latimer (an attorney) served two terms. Samuel Price Carson (attorney) became Texas' Secretary of State and with Robert Hamilton (financier) was an agent to the United States. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In March 1836, as Texas declared its independence from Mexico, an unusually large share of the convention's leading delegates came from Pecan Point, a Red River settlement in this corner of far Northeast Texas. Richard Ellis presided over the gathering that produced the young republic's declaration and constitution, while neighbors like Collin McKinney, A. H. Latimer, Samuel Price Carson, and Robert Hamilton helped draft the document and staff the new government. That a single frontier vicinity supplied five prominent founders speaks to how thinly settled but politically ambitious early Anglo-Texas was.
Why it matters
The men honored here helped turn a rebellion into a functioning republic, making this quiet vicinity a seedbed of the leadership that carried Texas from revolution to eventual statehood.
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Related people
- ¡ Richard Ellis
- ¡ Collin McKinney
- ¡ A. H. Latimer
- ¡ Samuel Price Carson
- ¡ Robert Hamilton
Related events
- ¡ Convention of 1836
- ¡ Texas Declaration of Independence
Themes & tags
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