The Fearless Fifty-Nine, James Gaines

James Gaines was the 69 year old Sabine representative. Gaines had a very active life before the Convention. He ran the El Camino Real ferry starting in 1819 that brought colonists across the U.S. to Texas. He served as alcalde for the Sabine District of the Municipality for Nacogdoches in 1824, sheriff in Nacogdoches in 1828, and postmaster for several years. Along with all of that, he also operated an inn and mercantile store and forwarded mail across the county. At the Convention, he served on the drafting committee for the Declaration and helped write the Constitution of the Republic. He served as a senator in the Texas Congress after the convention. In 1850, he left Texas for the California gold rush and successfully established the Mount Gaines Mine which still exists today.