William Menefee
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
William L. Menefee, born ca. 1796 in Knox County, Tennessee, served in the Tennessee Militia in the War of 1812. He studied law and was admitted to the bar sometime prior to when he moved to Alabama. In 1830 he and his wife Agnes (Sutherland) and their seven children moved to Jackson County, Texas. Menefee became involved in Texas' affairs with Mexico and represented Lavaca County as a delegate to the conventions of 1832 and 1833. In 1835 he represented Austin municipality at the consultation at San Felipe and later served as a member of the general council of the provisional government of Texas. Menefee was elected Colorado municipality's first chief justice in 1836. On March 2, 1836, he was among the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. In late 1836 Menefee was appointed Colorado County's first county judge by Republic of Texas President Sam Houston. Elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1837, he was one of five congressmen chosen to select the site for the Texas Capitol. An unsuccessful candidate for the Republic of Texas vice-presidency in 1841, he later served as Fayette County's state representative from 1853 to 1857. He died on October 29, 1875, and is buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Tennessee around 1796 and a veteran of the War of 1812, William L. Menefee brought his large family to Texas in 1830 and threw himself into the colony's turbulent politics. He served in the conventions of 1832 and 1833 and the provisional government, and on March 2, 1836, he was among the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Under the Republic he became Colorado County's first judge, sat in Congress, and helped choose the site of the state capital before decades more of public service.
Why it matters
Menefee was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Texas, part of the generation that carried American self-government to the far southwestern frontier.
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Related people
- · William L. Menefee
Related events
- · Texas Declaration of Independence
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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