San Juan, Hidalgo County
(June 16, 1880 - November 26, 1966) Tom Mayfield left the Gonzales County farm of his parents, John and Maggie Mayfield, in 1898 to help buy horses for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Between 1910-1921 Tom served as Pharr city marshal, Texas Ranger, and Hidalgo County deputy sheriff. His role in exposing a German-Mexican WWI plot in nearby San Diego and his amazing escape from a Mexican firing squad in 1921 made Tom a local celebrity. As Pharr-San Juan-Alamo's deputy constable (1938-1963) Tom gained the community's highest respect. He spent his last years as a resident of the San Juan Hotel. (1993)