Judge C. C. Binkley

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. Now, some names just carry weight, and Christopher Columbus Binkley was one of those names in Grayson County, Texas. Born on January 12, 1826, he came to Texas in 1852, and from the moment he arrived, he started building something.

He became a law partner of Sherman's very first mayor, which tells you right away that this was a man who knew where the center of things was, and made sure he was standing in it. He served as district judge from 1870 to 1874, and he held the position of Republican national committeeman for many years on top of that. But here's where the story gets interesting, because Judge Binkley wasn't just a courthouse man.

He was a founder and the first president of Merchants and Planters Bank, which made him the financial leader of Grayson County. Not just a leader. The financial leader.

The marker is specific about that. People in his day considered him one of the most trusted and outstanding businessmen around, and trust, in a frontier Texas county, was a currency all its own. When Christopher Columbus Binkley died on March 15, 1886, the people of Sherman didn't argue about his legacy.

They acknowledged him, plain and simple, as Sherman's leading citizen. That's the kind of epitaph a man spends a lifetime earning.

What the marker says

(January 12, 1826 - March 15, 1886) Christopher Columbus Binkley came to Texas in 1852 and became a law partner of Sherman's first mayor. He served as district judge from 1870 to 1874 and Republican national committeeman for many years. As a founder and the first president of Merchants and Planters Bank, Judge Binkley was the financial leader of the county and was considered one of the most trusted and outstanding businessmen of his day. Upon his death, Judge Binkley was acknowledged as Sherman's leading citizen. (1997)