Elisha Demerson was born and raised in Amarillo. Elisha Demerson and his twin brother both received appointments to West Point, but returned to Amarillo after two years to be near their ill mother. Elisha Demerson first worked at Pantex as a yard worker but entered West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) where he gained a bachelors then a masters in engineering. He has his own congregation as a minister. In addition, Elisha Demerson became the first African American Potter County Commissioner, the first African American county judge in Texas in the late 1980s, and the first African American City Council Member.