John Creighton Buchanan

(February 24, 1850-December 9, 1884) Louisiana native John Creighton Buchanan moved to East Texas and established a legal practice in Quitman. He became the first Wood County Attorney in 1876, the year before he married Sarah Rosalie "Rosa" Patten (1855-1941). He represented Rains, Wood, Upshur, Gregg and Smith counties in the Texas Senate from 1878 until his death in 1884 at age 34. As a senator, Buchanan was a strong advocate of education. He authored a bill to establish normal schools in Texas, secured a grant to finance Mineola schools, and drafted the bill that created the University of Texas. (1999)