James Waller Thomas, born in Missouri in 1826, moved to Texas in 1846. He married Mary William Smith, daughter of a prominent family in Clarksville, Texas. An early Texas newspaperman, Thomas served as editor of the Clarksville Messenger . While living in Clarksville, he held posts as assistant postmaster, postmaster, and mayor of Clarksville. In 1859 Thomas moved to McKinney in Collin County, where he served as postmaster from 1866-1887 and as county treasurer. There he also started the McKinney Messenger, which was the first newspaper in the county. Thomas was a close friend of Sam Houston and an avid Unionist. He served in the Texas Legislature during Reconstruction, where he was an outspoken Republican. When his political enemies burned down his newspaper office, Thomas continued to print the Messenger in his barn on butcher paper. Thomas died November 8, 1906.
From the guide to the Thomas, James Waller Papers 2002-113., [1850s-1890s], (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)
