Thomas Jefferson Rusk

The Republic of Texas's first Secretary of War and a commander at the Battle of San Jacinto, Thomas Jefferson Rusk was a key figure in both its political and military development. He became a US politician later in life, representing Texas as a Senator from 1846 until his death by suicide. In 1857, he presided as the pro tempore president of the US Senate.

Jeff Fahey's character, Thomas Jefferson Rusk, traveled to Texas in search of embezzlers who had stolen money from a Georgian gold mining company that Rusk had invested in. Despite not succeeding in capturing his prey, he remained in Texas and established a new life in Nacogdoches. He was a supporter of independence before it was fashionable, and he oversaw a group of volunteers who worked to stop Mexican troops from taking the cannon that had been given to the Gonzalez town in the first battle of the Texas Revolution. He served as the army's chief of staff during the Republic of Texas' independence and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. After Texas' annexation, he represented Texas in the U.S. Senate. On July 29, 1857, Rusk shot himself in the head because he missed his wife and was suffering from a neck tumor. Age-wise, he was 53.