DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one drivin' you to it. Now, if you want a story about a man who rose from genuine hardship to shape the state of Texas, well, pull up a chair — or in your case, settle into that seat — because James Stephen Hogg is exactly that story. He came into the world on March 24, 1851, the third son of General Joseph L. and Lucanda McMath Hogg, born near Rusk.
And right away, life started dealing hard cards. The Civil War era took his parents from him, and he was orphaned during those troubled years. Fourteen years old, and already on his own.
No safety net, no shortcuts. He worked as a farmhand, a clerk, a printer's devil, a typesetter, a country editor. The kind of resume you build when necessity is the only teacher you've got.
But here's where Wood County enters the picture — right here, at this very site. Because at twenty-two years old, James Stephen Hogg was elected Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, and went on to head the Commissioners Court of Wood County in 1874 and 1875. That, the marker tells us, is where a nationally-acclaimed public career began.
And it was just getting started. He was admitted to the bar in 1875. From there the offices came faster than a summer storm rolling in off the plains — county attorney from 1879 to 1881, district attorney from 1881 to 1885, then Texas Attorney General from 1887 to 1890.
Each one bigger than the last. Then January 20, 1891 arrived. Inauguration day.
And James Stephen Hogg became the first native Texan ever to serve as Governor of the state. The first. Born right here on Texas soil, risen from the red dirt on his own two feet, and now standing at the top of state government.
The marker calls him an intellectual and physical giant, personally fearless. And what he did with that fearlessness tells you everything. He saw Texas as a victim of Wall Street greed — his words, or close enough to them.
To equalize business opportunities among the great and the small, he led in creating the Texas Railroad Commission, which the marker says was hailed as a model throughout the world. Not the country. The world.
He championed the common people. He corrected many injustices. And yet, public office left him financially insecure.
That's the part they don't put on the statues. The man gave his professional life to the public and came out the other side without much to show for it in the bank. Wealth came later, and when it did, his heirs invested it in Texas mental health and culture.
His wife was Sallie Stinson, of Wood County — same county where his story first took flight. Together they had four children: Will, Ima, Mike, and Tom. The marker says, plainly and without embellishment, that all four were philanthropists.
The apple, as they say, did not fall far. James Stephen Hogg died on March 3, 1906. He'd been born in Texas, raised himself up by sheer will and work, governed the state he loved, and left a legacy that his own children carried forward in his name.
Started right here in Wood County. Some starts have a very long reach.
What the marker says
(March 24, 1851-March 3, 1906) Texas statesman whose nationally-acclaimed public career began at this site. The third son of Gen. Joseph L. and Lucanda (McMath) Hogg was born near Rusk. Orphaned during troubled Civil War era, he began at age 14 to earn his own way as a farmhand, clerk, printer's devil, typesetter, country editor. At 22, he was elected Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, and headed Commissioners Court of Wood County, 1874-75. He was admitted to the bar in 1875 and soon held higher offices: county attorney (1879-81), district attorney (1881-85), Texas Attorney General, (1887-90). Inaugurated on Jan. 20, 1891, he was the first native Texan to become Governor of the state. He championed the common people. An intellectual and physical giant, personally fearless, he saw Texas as victim of Wall Street greed, and corrected many injustices. To equalize business opportunities among great and small, he led in creating Texas Railroad Commission, hailed as a model throughout the world. Public office left him financially insecure. Later came wealth, which has been invested by his heirs in Texas mental health and culture. His wife was Sallie Stinson of Wood County. Their children -- Will, Ima, Mike and Tom -- were all philanthropists. (1971)