LAST -- President of the Republic of Texas, Anson TX
N 32° 45.395 W 099° 53.816
14S E 415981 N 3624658
The statue of Anson Jones, Republic of Texas Statesman, the Last President of the Republic of Texas, and, in his later years, the mortal enemy of Sam Houston, in the city and county which are his namesakes.
Waymark Code: WMQEPW
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/17/2016
Views: 6
One cannot miss the imposing statue of Dr. Anson Jones at the south entrance to the Jones County Courthouse in Anson TX.
Anson Jones was the last President of the Republic of Texas. As such, he signed the documents that allowed for the Annexation of Texas to the United States. Prior to this, he served as a surgeon in the Texian Army that won independence from Mexico in 1836.
Jones is a fascinating historical figure. He and General Sam Houston, (the first President of the Republic of Texas and the Commander of the Texian Army at the Battle of San Jacinto), despised one another, but Jone's hatred of Houston was much stronger than Houston's deep dislike of Jones.
Jones was elected to the Second Congress of the Republic of Texas, and though he tried several times to retire from politics, kept being elected to offices he did not campaign much for, or found himself appointed to positions within the Republic's Government he did not desire. Republic of Texas President Sam Houston (despite their personal animosity) appointed Jones to be the Republic's minister to the United states, directing Jones to withdraw an early petition for annexation (1838).
Nevertheless, despite his growing desire to leave public service and go back to being a doctor in his hometown of Brazoria TX, in 1844 Jones was elected President of the Republic of Texas. By then, annexation to the US was a virtual certainty. It was clear that the Republic was not financially strong enough to enable Texas to survive as its own country for much longer. In 1845 Jones signed the papers of annexation and, once annexation was completed a year later, famously declared, "The Republic of Texas is no more."
For more on the life and accomplishments of Anson Jones, see the Handbook of Texas online here (
visit link)
Also see our waymark (in this category) of another statue of Anson Jones in Austin here: (
visit link)
In the Anson TX waymarked statue, Dr. Jones is dressed in period clothing from the 1840s. He is seated, gazing at a piece of paper. It could be the articles of Annexation of Texas to the United States, but that is just our guess.
The statue is made of bronze attached to pedestals of Texas pink granite quarried in Marble Falls TX. It looks to us to be maybe 50% larger than life size.
Engraved on the back of the pedestal are the following words:
"ANSON JONES
1798 1858
BORN IN MASSACHUSETTS
JANUARY TWENTIETH 1798
WAS LICENSED TO PRACTICE
MEDICINE IN 1820. CAME
TO TEXAS IN 1833.DOCTOR
JONES PARTICIPATED IN THE
BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO
1836 WHILE A SURGEON IN
THE ARMY OF TEXAS. HE WAS
A MEMBER OF THE CONGRESS
OF THE REPUBLIC 1837-41
MINISTER TO THE UNITED
STATES 1838. SECRETARY OF
STATE 1841-44. HE WAS THE
LAST PRESIDENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF TEXAS 1844
1845. DIED IN HOUSTON
TEXAS JANUARY NINTH 1858
ERECTED BY THE
STATE OF TEXAS
1936 WITH FUNDS
APPROPRIATED
BY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO
COMMEMORATE
ONE HUNDRED
YEARS OF TEXAS
INDEPENDENCE"