WEATHERFORD, JEFFERSON (1810-1867). Jefferson Weatherford, state senator, was born in Alabama in 1810. As a young man he migrated to Macoupin County, Illinois. In 1846 Weatherford moved to Texas, settling just east of Wilmer in Dallas County, where he farmed and operated a sawmill. Weatherford had very little formal education, but he was soon recognized as one of the county's more prominent political leaders. He was elected to the state senate in 1853 and 1855. In 1856, when Parker County was organized from territory lying within his Senate district, its county seat was named Weatherford in his honor. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860, Weatherford was an ardent advocate of secession and played a prominent role in the drive to whip up enthusiasm for that course in North Texas. He was again elected to the state Senate in 1861 and in 1863. He died at the family homestead in Dallas County in 1867. Jefferson Weatherford was married three times. The name of his first wife is not known. His second wife was Mary Stadden, whom he married in Macoupin County, Illinois. She died in Dallas County in 1851. His third wife was Sarah Neely. He was the father of twelve children.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: A History of Greater Dallas and Vicinity, Vol. 1, by Philip Lindsley; Vol. 2, Selected Biography and Memoirs, ed. L. B. Hill (Chicago: Lewis, 1909). Members of the Texas Legislature, 1846-1962 (Austin, 1962).
