Richard Byrd Burleson, minister and geologist, son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Byrd) Burleson, was born near Decatur, Alabama, on January 1, 1822. In 1842 he graduated from State University, Nashville, Tennessee, and was ordained to the Baptist ministry. In 1847 he married Sarah Leigh of Alabama; she died in 1854. He married Mary Halbert of Mississippi in 1857. In 1855 he moved to Austin, Texas, as pastor of the First Baptist Church. Burleson was appointed professor of natural sciences at Baylor University and remained at Baylor until 1874, when he became Texas state geologist. In 1875 he returned to Baylor. He died at Waco on December 21, 1879.
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A Memorial and Biographical History of McLennan, Falls, Bell, and Coryell Counties (Chicago: Lewis, 1893; rpt., St. Louis: Ingmire, 1984).
Categories:
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Education
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Educators
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Sciences, Agriculture, and Engineering
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Religion
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Baptist
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Anonymous,
“Burleson, Richard Byrd,”
Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed May 28, 2022,
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/burleson-richard-byrd.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Original Publication Date:
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1952
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Most Recent Revision Date:
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November 1, 1994
