DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do it justice. There's a name on a marker out in Wilson County that doesn't get said nearly enough — Captain Will L. Wright.
Born February 10, 1868. And when you hear what this man did with the years he was given, you'll understand why somebody thought a marker wasn't nearly enough, but it's a start. The inscription calls him fearless, colorful, and cultured all in the same breath — which, if you've spent any time in Texas, you know that combination either makes a legend or makes a problem.
Will Wright managed to make the former. He started out as a Deputy Sheriff in Wilson County back in the 1890s, learning the lay of the land, reading people, figuring out when to draw and — and this is the part worth noting — when not to. See, the marker makes a point of saying his honesty and diplomacy often prevented bloodshed.
That's not a small thing. Any man can escalate. Takes something rarer to walk a situation back from the edge.
He went on to serve in the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers, and then Wilson County made him their Sheriff — a post he held from 1902 all the way to 1917. Fifteen years of keeping the peace in one county. But the story doesn't stop there.
The Texas Adjutant-General came calling, and at that request, Wright organized and commanded Company D of the Texas Rangers — a post he held from 1918 to 1939. Along the Rio Grande, he gained what the marker calls great fame, and you can let your imagination do some work in that stretch of river country. He married Mary Ann Brown.
They raised seven children together, and the marker notes that two of those children followed him into law enforcement. The apple, as they say, didn't fall far from the badge. Will L.
Wright died March 7, 1942. A fearless, colorful, cultured man — and Wilson County made sure we'd remember it.
What the marker says
(February 10, 1868-March 7, 1942) A fearless, colorful, cultured man whose honesty and diplomacy often prevented bloodshed. An 1890s Wilson County Deputy Sheriff. In Frontier Battalion, Texas Rangers. Sheriff, Wilson County, 1902-1917. At request of Texas Adjutant-General, he organized and commanded Co. D, Texas Rangers, 1918-1939. Gained great fame along Rio Grande. Married Mary Ann Brown. Their seven children included two who became law officers. Recorded, 1967