Stevenson, Coke R., Texas Statesman
Junction, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First Texas governor to serve more than two terms (1941-1947). First speaker of the house to succeed himself (1935-1937). Lieutenant Governor, 1939-1941. Was first to hold the three highest state offices. As governor, placed state on a cash basis without curtailment of services to the people and without a tax increase. Changed a $34,000,000 deficit to a $35,000,000 surplus. Lifetime resident, Kimble County. Son of pioneer settlers, R. M. and Virginia Hurley Stevenson. Born March 20, 1888. In school only 22 months; studied throughout his life. At 10 got a ranch job; at 16 owned and operated Junction-Brady Freight Line; at 18, entered banking as a janitor, advancing to president. Studied law and was licensed in 1913. County attorney, county judge; legislator, 1929-1939. While he was speaker, State House of Representatives, landmark legislation included first driver's license law; municipal indebtedness reporting Law; creation of state auditor's office; Lower Colorado River Authority; Highway Department pay-as-you-go plan. Over 50 years a Methodist, lawyer, Mason, rancher. Married in 1912, Fay Wright (deceased 1942); in 1954, Mrs. Marguerite King Heap. Children; Coke, Jr. and Jane.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Kimble County in 1888 with barely two years of formal schooling, Coke R. Stevenson worked his way from a boyhood ranch job to owning a freight line, then rose through banking, law, and county office. He became the first Texan to hold the state's three highest offices, and as governor from 1941 to 1947 he turned a large deficit into a surplus while championing measures from the first driver's-license law to the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Why it matters
Stevenson's self-made ascent from frontier ranch hand to governor embodies a distinctly Texan ideal of self-reliance and left a lasting mark on the state's modern government.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Coke R. Stevenson
- · R. M. Stevenson
- · Virginia Hurley Stevenson
- · Fay Wright
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Post Office
Junction, TX
Junction's first post office opened in 1876 under postmaster Harriet Kountz, who at first simply kept the mail at home. In 1879 her husband, Dr. Ezekiel Kountz, built a post office, drugstore, and mercantile on the square using lumber hauled from Austin, and the building also served as the county's first offices. The old store stood until it was dismantled in 1911.
Site of First Livery Stable
Junction, TX
On a lot where a public corral had operated since 1877, John Allen built a livery stable in 1879 that quickly became the busiest spot in early Junction. It fed and housed visiting ranch teams, hired out horses and buggies, and drew men to gossip and trade. Owned by T. M. Hodges in its final years, the stable was made obsolete by automobiles in the 1920s.
Cloud Point
Junction, TX
Cloud Point is the cliff commanding the junction of the Llano River valley and Johnson Fork Creek, long a natural landmark for soldiers and travelers crossing this rugged Hill Country terrain. Its name honors the family of Civil War veteran William Johnston Cloud, who bought land nearby and made his home in view of the bluff. Beneath it once ran a web of historic routes—the Upper Presidio Road, the military road from Fort Terrett to San Antonio, and the transcontinental Old Spanish Trail—though modern highways bypassed it in the 1970s.
Johnson Fork Colony
Segovia, TX
One of Kimble County's earliest settlements grew up on land once owned by famed Texas cattleman Samuel Maverick, taking its name from the Johnson Fork of the Llano River. The Wiley Joy family put down roots here, building a gravity irrigation system, a rock fence, and a two-room log house whose traces still remain. By the end of the Civil War eight families formed the "Joy settlement," which became a watering place for travelers and troops and, later, a stage stop.