James Harper Starr, Starr County, Texas - People-Named Places on Waymarking.com

James Harper Starr (1809-1890), was born in Connecticut, raised and educated in Ohio, started his career in Georgia, and lived most of his life in Texas. It was after attending an academy in Worthington, Ohio, that he decided to become a physician, doing so by self-education and observation. Moving to McDonough, Georgia, he established his first medical practice, then a few year later in 1837, moved to Nacogdoches, Texas, the state where he spent the remainder of his life.

He got his start in the land business when President Sam Houston appointed him a member of the Board of Land Commissioners for Nacogdoches County. Because of his excellent service he was later appointed Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas. Resigning that post to serve as administrator of the estate of his brother-in-law, Frost Thorn, who is credited with becoming the first "Texas millionaire.", he spent the next several years involved in various aspects of land and real estate.

He was a strong supporter of annexation to the Union in 1845, but opposed when the Civil War began. Loyal to his state's secession from the union, he accepted a civil appointment as a receiver for the Confederate government and later was a Confederate postal agent. After the war he engaged in the business of land speculation and banking, eventually moving to Marshall, Texas to join his brother, where he resided until his death in 1890.

As a member of a very prominent early Texas family, he was personally known for his life-long temperance, his commitment to education, and his frugality. And while Starr Avenue in Nacogdoches, where he had lived at one time, was named for him, his greatest honor came in 1848 when Starr County was named for him.

More information on the fascinating life of this man and his prominent family can be found here and here.

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