Morgan G. Sanders

Before Congress, Sanders worked in print and law. In March 1898 he bought the Free State Enterprise, a weekly at Canton, and edited it until 1901, the year he was admitted to the bar and opened an office with Ben L. Cox. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 15, 1921. The Handbook of Texas calls him an advocate of states' rights who broke with the New Deal and opposed Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to pack the Supreme Court. He was born near Ben Wheeler on July 14, 1878.

What the plaque says

Morgan G. Sanders Legislator Morgan Gurley Sanders was born near Ben Wheeler. He published newspapers, worked as journal clerk of the state senate and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas before winning a seat in the state legislature. His public service as a democratic politician included terms as a state legislator (1903-07), Van Zandt County attorney (1911-15), district attorney (1915-17) and U.S. Congressman (1921-39); he also continued to practice law. In 1931, Speaker of the House John Nance Garner appointed Sanders to his previous position on the powerful ways and means committee. Sanders lost his seat in a 1938 election. Twice widowed and married three times, he remained active in Van Zandt County until his death. (2010)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center — 16 mi
  A Texas Parks and Wildlife hatchery and visitor center in Athens where visitors can borrow tackle and fish a stocked pond, watch native species in gallery tanks and ride a tram around the hatchery.
• Purtis Creek State Park — 18 mi
  A 1,582-acre park straddling the Henderson and Van Zandt county line, built around a 355-acre lake with no-wake fishing, borrowed tackle, a 4.1-mile hike-and-bike trail and a nature path.
• Tyler Rose Garden and Rose Museum — 23 mi
  More than 38,000 rose bushes of about 600 cultivars in a free city garden, beside a museum of the Texas Rose Festival, which began in 1933, and of the rose industry.
• Goodman-LeGrand House and Museum — 24 mi
  A Tyler house begun in 1859 as four rooms, enlarged by the Goodman family over 73 years, and left to the city in 1939 with its furnishings, in a garden that fills a city block.

More markers nearby

• Ben Wheeler Community — steps away
• Cox Cemetery — 4.0 mi
• Holly Springs United Methodist Church — 4.2 mi
• Colfax Cemetery — 4.8 mi