Historical Marker

Thomas Jefferson Dean

Historical marker location:
Jacksonville, Texas
( city cemetery at west end of Kickapoo Street)
Marker installed: 1986

Thomas Jefferson Dean (Aug. 5, 1883 -- Feb. 5, 1949) Born on a farm in Gregg County, Tom Dean became a pastor of the First Christian Church in Jacksonville in 1909, four years before graduating from Texas Christian University. He led efforts to establish the town's public library and Boy Scout troop. Returning to farming, he headed the local Farm Security Administration office in the 1940s. As Chamber of Commerce manager he helped establish "Farm Family Days," an annual fair which ended in the 1950s.

The state of Texas was once an independent country known as the Republic of Texas. It gained independence from Mexico in 1836 and was a separate nation until it was annexed by the United States in 1845.