DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, friends. In Amelia County, Virginia, on October 7th, 1853, a boy named George D. Neal came into the world.
Nobody there could have guessed that this Virginia-born child would one day sit one heartbeat from the governorship of Texas, but that is precisely what happened. The Neal family made their move to Washington County, Texas, in 1866, and George set about becoming a Texan in earnest. He attended Baylor University, got himself admitted to the Bar in 1876, and from that point on, the man was building something.
In October of 1880, he married Fannie C. Brooks. The following year, 1881, they moved to Navasota.
And in 1883, George Neal purchased the very residence this marker stands beside. He and Fannie would raise three children under that roof. Now, you might think a man who'd found a home and a family and a law practice might be content to sit still.
George Neal was not that man. He served as county judge from 1884 to 1886. Then city attorney, 1888 to 1896.
Then State Senator, 1896 to 1902. Each office a step up, each term another layer of trust the people of this region were placing in him. Then came 1902.
He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas, serving alongside Governor S. W. T.
Lanham. He won that office again in 1904. Two terms, standing at the right hand of the governor of Texas, a long way from Amelia County, Virginia.
In 1907, Neal retired from politics. And here is the part that lands quietly but lands hard. He came back.
Back to this house in Navasota, back to the law practice, back to the life he had built on this very ground. He stayed until July 13th, 1916. Home, in the end, was exactly where he had said it was.
What the marker says
(Oct. 7, 1853 - July 13, 1916) Born in Amelia County, Va. The Neal Family moved to Washington County, Texas, in 1866. Neal, after attending Baylor University, was admitted to the Bar in 1876. He married Fannie C. Brooks in Oct. 1880, moved to Navasota in 1881, and purchased this residence in 1883. The couple had 3 children. Neal served as county judge, 1884-86; city attorney, 1888-96; and as a State Senator, 1896-1902. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1902 and 1904, serving with Gov. S. W. T. Lanham. Neal retired from politics in 1907 and returned here to practice law.