William Shelby Delaney

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the marker says about William Shelby Delaney, right here in Colorado County. Now settle in, because this is the kind of life that could fill a courthouse and then some. William Shelby Delaney was born on September 18, 1825, in Kentucky.

He came into the world a Kentucky boy, but the world he'd leave behind stretched a good deal further than that. He started out as a college professor, which is not the usual first chapter for a man whose story ends up on a historical marker beside a Texas road. But Delaney had range.

In 1852, he was admitted to the bar, and he set to practicin' law in Tennessee. He kept at it there until 1860, when he made his move to Columbus. That's Colorado County.

That's here. The Delaney family homestead stood right at this very site. Think about that the next time you're passing through.

When the Civil War came, Delaney served in the county militia. And when the war was done, the people of this county trusted him with their hardest business. He was elected District Attorney.

Then County Judge. Then representative to the State Legislature. Three offices, each one carrying its own weight and its own burden.

And through all of it, he stayed active in the life of this community, serving as a lay leader at St. John's Episcopal Church, tending to the civic affairs that hold a place together when everything else wants to pull it apart. William Shelby Delaney died on December 16, 1900, not at home, but in Austin, while visiting his daughter.

He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in that city. A man who began in Kentucky, built something lasting in Columbus, and came to rest in Austin. The marker stands where the homestead stood.

The story isn't going anywhere.

What the marker says

(September 18, 1825 - December 16, 1900) Kentucky native William S. Delaney was a college professor before being admitted to the bar in 1852. He practiced law in Tennessee until 1860, when he moved to Columbus. The Delaney family homestead was located at this site. Delaney served in the county militia during the Civil War, and later was elected to the offices of District Attorney, County Judge, and representative to the State Legislature. He was active in civic affairs and was a lay leader at St. John's Episcopal Church. He died in Austin while visiting his daughter, and is buried in that city's Oakwood Cemetery. 1995