Thomas A. Lambeth
Cooper, Delta County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Joined Confederate Army at 16; was captain in escort of General John B. Magruder, Commandant, District of Texas. Became sheriff of Delta County in 1879. During his six years as sheriff, the jail was set on fire 25 times, but no prisoner escaped. He shot only one man. Broke up horse thief relay stations and rid county of cattle rustlers. An outstanding peace officer, he also was a model citizen who taught Sunday School.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Thomas A. Lambeth joined the Confederate Army at sixteen and served as a captain in the escort of General John B. Magruder, commander of the District of Texas. Elected sheriff of Delta County in 1879, he served six years in which the jail was set afire twenty-five times without a single escape, broke up horse-thief relay stations, and cleared the county of cattle rustlers. Remembered as an exacting lawman who taught Sunday School, he shot only one man in all that time.
Why it matters
Lambeth personifies the frontier peace officer whose grit and restraint brought order to a lawless corner of postwar Texas.
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Related people
- · Thomas A. Lambeth
- · John B. Magruder
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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