Dr. William Edward Throckmorton (1795 – October 2, 1843) was an early Collin County

Collin County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 491,675 people, 181,970 households, and 132,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 580 people per square mile . There were 194,892 housing units at an average density of 230 per square mile...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 settler.

Born in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 in 1795, Throckmorton was the son of a Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

 soldier. He grew up in Virginia and met his first wife, Elizabeth Webb, there.

After receiving a degree in Medicine in 1817, Throckmorton began what was to become a series of moves across the country. In 1821, he moved to Sparta

Sparta, Tennessee

Sparta is a city in White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of White County. It was the hometown of Lester Flatt of the bluegrass music legends Flatt and Scruggs.-Geography:...

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 where he practiced medicine. This was followed by a move to Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. In the mid-1830s, he moved his practice to Fayetteville

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...

, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

. While living there, his wife died.

He married his second wife, Malinda Clement, in 1840. (Malinda is sometimes referred to as Malinda Wilson as she married John H. Wilson after William Throckmorton died.) They moved to Texas a year later, settling near the town of Melissa

Melissa, Texas

Melissa is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,350 at the 2000 census, but has since increased to an estimated population of 3,014 in July 2006, a 123.3% increase...

 in Collin County. He died on October 2, 1843 and was buried in the Throckmorton Cemetery outside Melissa.

Throckmorton fathered eight children. One of his sons, James Webb

James W. Throckmorton

James Webb Throckmorton was an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Texas from 1866 to 1867 during the early days of Reconstruction...

, became a prominent Texas politician. He held a number of positions including State Senator

Texas Senate

The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...

, Governor

Governor of Texas

The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

, and United States Congressman.

Throckmorton County, Texas

Throckmorton County, Texas

-2010 census:As of the census of 2010, there were 1,641 people. There were 1,079 housing units, 358 of which were vacant. The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% White , 0.1% Black or African American , 0.7% Native American , 0.4% Asian , 2.6% from other races , and 0.8% from two or more races...

, established on January 13, 1858, was named in honor of Dr. William Edward Throckmorton.