Samuel B. Maxey

Samuel Bell Maxey (March 30, 1825 – August 16, 1895) was an American soldier, lawyer, and politician from Paris, Texas. He was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and later represented Texas in the U.S. Senate.

Early life and education Maxey was born in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, on March 30, 1825. His parents were Rice and Lucy (Bell) Maxey. His father was a lawyer, and in 1834 he moved the family to Albany, Kentucky, to take a position as the County Clerk for Clinton County, Kentucky. In 1842 young Maxey got an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Although he consistently ranked near the bottom of his class, Maxey did graduate in 1846 He returned to Albany, read law with his father Rice Maxey and they began a joint practice when Maxey was admitted to the Bar in 1851. He married Marilda Cass Denton on June 19, 1853. In October 1857, father and son moved their families to a small farm they purchased just south of Paris, Texas. They resumed a joint law practice here as well. The townhouse that he built there in 1867 is now a state historical site on South Church Street and is open to visitors.

Legacy Camp Maxey was a World War II infantry-training camp and associated facilities, named in honor of Maxey. It was occupied from July 1942 to early 1946 in Lamar County, Texas, near Paris, Texas. It now serves as a National Guard training center.