Samuel Augustus Maverick

Maverick, Samuel Augustus (1803–70), Texas politician and cattle rancher. He was a member of the convention that founded the Republic of Texas (1836) and served as a member of the Texas Congress and its first state legislature. Owner of a large cattle ranch, Maverick did not brand his herd, and neighbors called his strays, “mavericks.” The word came to mean all unmarked cattle. Today the term applies largely to politicians who have no distinct affiliations or party loyalties.