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Old Leathercoat - Texas Governor Series LbNA #28560 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Boots Tex
Plant date:Feb 6, 2007
Location:
City:McKinney
County:Collin
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Found by: greenpalm
Last found:Oct 26, 2014
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFar
Last edited:Feb 6, 2007
James Webb Throckmorton was the twelfth governor of Texas. He was the first governor after the Civil War, serving from August 9, 1866 to August 8, 1867. The son of a physician, James Throckmorton was born in Tennessee in 1825; as a boy he moved to Arkansas in 1836, then to Fannin County, Texas in 1841. In 1844 his family moved to Collin County, two miles northwest of present Melissa. He left Texas to study medicine in Kentucky with his uncle. He returned to Texas and served as an army surgeon in the Mexican War, but received a medical discharge because of a kidney condition that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Disliking the practice of medicine, he turned to law and politics. After five years each as a state representative and state senator, he was elected a delegate to the Secession Convention of 1861, where he was one of seven who voted against secession. Although a Unionist, he joined the Confederate army when war came, and was eventually made brigadier general in charge of troops guarding the Texas frontier, and Confederate commissioner to the Indians. He successfully negotiated several treaties with frontier Indians, who nicknamed him “Old Leathercoat”. My guess would be that he wore an old leather coat, but that's just me.
After serving as president of the Constitutional Convention of 1866, Throckmorton defeated E. M. Pease in the race for governot, taking office in August 1866. When presidential reconstruction gave way to congressional reconstruction in March 1867, Throckmorton and the U. S. military differed: he disagreed with their deployment of troops in the interior rather than on the frontier, and they accused him of failing to punish crimes against blacks and Unionists. In July General Philip Sheridan removed Throckmorton from the governorship as “an impediment to reconstruction.” E. M. Pease was appointed in his place. After fighting against radicalism in the early 1870’s, Throckmorton was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives (1874-1888), where he argued among other things for government encouragement of and government regulation of railroads. He ran for governor twice more, in 1878 and 1890, before he died in McKinney on April 21, 1894.

Directions: Pecan Grove Memorial Cemetery is located at the southeast corner of Hwy. 5 and Eldorado St. in McKinney, Texas.

To the box: General Throckmorton's grave is located on Throckmorton St. in the cemetery, which is on the far west side of the cemetery (to your immediate right as you enter). As you drive south on Throckmorton, you will come to a tall obelisk marker on your left which marks his grave. Facing the plaque in front of his marker, you will see a bench between two cedars at 40 degrees. Go si on the bench and face north toward two more cedars about twelve steps away. Look inside the cedar on the right for the box.

I would like to give a huge thanks to Puddle Splasher for placing this box for me. Old Leathercoat also thanks you, PS.