Judge John S. Callicutt

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to honor every word. John Spencer Callicutt rolled into Corsicana in 1886 and hung out his shingle. A new town, a new law practice, and by the look of things, a man who had no intention of sitting still.

Callicutt didn't just practice law in that community. He built it. He served on the founding board of the county hospital, which is the kind of civic work that leaves a mark long after the man is gone.

He sat on the board of Central State Bank and the boards of other businesses besides. He was a member of the First Methodist Church, active in Masonic work, and that Masonic work included something that says a good deal about a person's character: work with handicapped children. Then came 1935.

Governor Miriam A. Ferguson appointed him district judge. Think about that for a moment.

A man who'd been quietly building Corsicana from the ground up for decades, and now he'd be sitting on the bench, holding the scales. He was married to the former Evelina Jack, and together they raised seven children. Seven.

When it was all said and done, John Spencer Callicutt and his wife were laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery, in the town he'd called home since 1886. Some men pass through a place. Others become part of its bones.

Callicutt was the second kind.

What the marker says

John Spencer Callicutt moved to Corsicana in 1886 and opened his law practice. As an active member of the community, Callicutt served on the founding board of the county hospital, as well as the boards of Central State Bank and other businesses. A member of the First Methodist Church, he was active in Masonic activities, including work with handicapped children. In 1935 he was appointed district judge by Gov. Miriam A. Ferguson. Married to the former Evelina Jack, he was the father of seven children. He and his wife are buried in Oakwood Cemetery. (1988)