James Pinckney Henderson Monument

James Pinckney Henderson was born on March 31, 1808 in Lincolnton, North Carolina. As a young man, he studied law at the University of North Carolina and was admitted into the bar in 1829. However, before practicing law he joined the North Carolina militia, rising in rank from aide-de-camp, then to major (he was just 22 at the time), and then in 1830, he earned the rank of colonel. Five years later, Henderson was in Canton, Mississippi where he opened a law practice. But he soon learned of the Texas Revolution and recruited a company of Mississippi soldiers to the cause, which he led to Austin, Texas in June 1836. However, by then the Revolution had all but succeeded. Nonetheless, Henderson was commissioned as brigadier general and sent to the U.S., specifically North Carolina, to recruit an army.

When he arrived in Texas in November, 1836, the first president (and later the third) of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, appointed Henderson as Attorney General of the republic. The next month, he was appointed Secretary of State after the previous holder of that position, Stephen F. Austin, passed away. Early the next year, Houston appointed Henderson as minister to England and France and was tasked with securing official recognition and negotiating economic treaties with the two countries. Britain did not recognize the Republic but France did; both did agree to trade deals.

When he returned to the U.S., Henderson and his new wife, Frances (they married in London), moved to San Augustine and opened a law practice. Four years later, he participated in the negotiations between the U.S. and the Republic about annexation. The effort ultimately failed, but the U.S. annexed Texas the next year by joint resolution. In February 1846, Henderson was elected as the first governor of Texas. Mexico, however, still claimed Texas was part of its territory and war between the two countries broke out in April 1846. The state legislature granted Henderson leave of absence to lead the Second Texas Regiment in Mexico, specifically at the Battle of Monterrey (Septmeber 20-24, 1846). After the battle, he, along with two others, negotiated the city's surrender.

Henderson completed his term as governor in late 1847 (he chose not to run again) and returned to practicing law. In 1857 the state legislature appointed him to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat of Thomas J. Rusk, who died unexpectedly. However, Henderson himself had passed away in Washington D.C. a few months later. He was originally buried at the Congressional Cemetery but in 1930 was reinterred at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

Elliot, Claude. "Henderson, James Pinckney (1808–1858)." Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed November 04, 2020, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/henderson-james-pinckney.

Ellis, Tuffly. "Henderson, James Pinckney." NCPedia. 1988. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/henderson-james-pinckney.

"James Pinckney Henderson." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed November 4, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=151680.

McDonald, Archie P. "First Governor of Texas, James Pinckney Henderson." TexasEscapes.com. June, 2002. http://www.texasescapes.com/AllThingsHistorical/FirstGovernorOfTexaAMD602.htm.