Born in Nova Scotia, Thomas J. Devine came to Texas in 1843 and became a district judge in 1851. In 1861 he served on the powerful Public Safety Committee of the Texas Secession Convention and, with Samuel A. Maverick and Philip N. Luckett, took possession of federal property in Texas. Backed by Col. Ben McCulloch and 1,200 minute men, he forced the surrender of 3,000 troops along with arms, ammunition, supplies, and $30,000 in cash. Throughout the Civil War he was one of two Confederate judges in Texas, trying cases involving people accused of Union sympathies, the disposition of goods owned by Northern enemies, and maritime disputes caused by the coastal blockade and shipwrecks. In 1864 he became special commissioner to settle disputes among foreign merchants handling cotton across the Mexican boundary. At the end of the war he left with other Texas leaders hoping to continue the fight from Mexico. After returning, he became the only Southerner besides President Jefferson Davis to be twice indicted for treason, and President Andrew Johnson pardoned him in June 1867. He later served on the Texas Supreme Court and the University of Texas Board of Regents, and this town was named for him in 1882.