The Beaumont Heritage Society is proud to host a special dedication ceremony for a new historical marker honoring the life and legacy of Pandit Mehar Chand on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 10:00 AM. The event will take place at 911 Crockett St. Beaumont, TX 77701 (on the corner of Crockett and Archie Streets) and is free and open to the public.
Pandit Mehar Chand (May 18, 1894 – Aug. 22, 1977) emigrated to the United States during a period when Asian Indians were prohibited from obtaining U.S. citizenship and xenophobia and anti-Hindu religious discrimination were rampant. Upon subsequently settling in Beaumont in 1918 and opening a grocery store on Crockett Street, his difficulties continued, including persecution by the Ku Klux Klan and his conviction for interstate conspiracy to sell cigarettes, for which Chand’s accusers later recanted their testimony. Chand remained under threat of deportation for this crime for many years. He was ultimately pardoned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 26, 1937. On November 23, 1949, Chand finally became a U.S. citizen – and the first Indian-American U.S. citizen – to live in Beaumont. His unassuming modesty, goodwill toward his neighbors, and advocacy against racial discrimination had by then long endeared Chand to his adopted community.
This historical marker was awarded under the Texas Historical Commission’s competitive statewide under-told marker program, which seeks to address significant gaps in our state’s geographical and historical narrative. Limited funding is available to the THC for its under-told program and only 15 marker topics are approved annually. The Pandit Mehar Chand marker was the first marker to be approved under this program in Jefferson County. The marker commemorates Chand’s extraordinary contributions and ensures his legacy is permanently recognized in the city’s cultural and historical landscape.
The dedication ceremony will feature remarks from community leaders, representatives of the Beaumont Heritage Society and Jefferson County Historical Commission, and members of the Pandit Mehar Chand family.
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