Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Question: What early Texas leader inspired a term for unbranded cattle and is the namesake of a prominent border county?

Answer: Samuel Augustus Maverick. He was the mayor of San Antonio in 1839-40, served two terms in the Texas Congress, and was a member of the state legislature from 1851-63, where he attempted to prevent the state from seceding during the Civil War. His cattle on the Matagorda Peninsula were unbranded and allowed to roam free, giving rise to the term “maverick.” He acquired more than 300,000 acres in West Texas, and Maverick County was named in his honor in 1856.