Richard Ellis
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Virginia February 14, 1781 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1820 Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and President of the Constitutional Convention, 1836 Senator in the Congress of the Republic of Texas, 1836 to 1840 Died in Bowie County, Texas December 20, 1846 Mary Dandridge Ellis Wife of Richard Ellis Born in Virginia 1787 Died in Bowie County, Texas October 21, 1837 Ellis County, Texas was named for Richard Ellis Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Richard Ellis brought a Virginia judicial career to the Texas frontier, and in 1836 he presided over the convention that declared Texas independent from Mexico. As president of that constitutional convention and later a senator in the Republic's Congress, he helped lay the legal foundation of the new nation. Ellis County was named in his honor.
Why it matters
Ellis stands among the founding statesmen of the Republic of Texas, whose work turned a rebellion into a functioning government on the edge of American expansion.
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Related people
- · Richard Ellis
- · Mary Dandridge Ellis
Related events
- · Texas Declaration of Independence
- · Convention of 1836
Themes & tags
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