Everything about Sam Houston totally explained
Samuel Houston (
March 2,
1793 –
July 26,
1863) was a 19th century
American statesman, politician, and soldier. Born in
Timber Ridge, just north of
Lexington in
Rockbridge County,
Virginia, in the
Shenandoah Valley, Houston was a key figure in the history of
Texas, including periods as President of the
Republic of Texas,
Senator for Texas after it joined the
United States, and finally as
governor. Although a
slaveowner and opponent of
abolitionism, he refused, because of his unionist convictions, to swear loyalty to the
Confederacy when Texas
seceded from the
Union, bringing his governorship to an end. To avoid bloodshed, he refused an offer of an army to put down the rebellion, and instead retired to
Huntsville, Texas, where he died before the end of the
Civil War.
His earlier life included encouraging emigration to
Tennessee, time spent with the
Cherokee Nation (into which he was adopted and later married into), military service in the
War of 1812, and subsequent successful involvement in Tennessee politics. Houston is the only person in
U.S. history to have been the
governor of two different
states, Tennessee and Texas, although others were governors of multiple
American colonies.
A fight with a Congressman, followed by a high profile
trial, led to his emigration to
Mexican Texas, where he soon became a leader of the
Texas Revolution. He supported
annexation by the United States rather than seeking long term independence and expansion for Texas. The city of
Houston was named after him during this period. Houston's reputation survived his death: posthumous commemoration has included a memorial museum, a
U.S. Army base, a
national forest, a historical park, a
university, and the largest statue of an American figure.
Biography
Early life
Sam Houston was born on his family's plantation near Timber Ridge Church, outside
Lexington, Virginia in
Rockbridge County, to Major Samuel Houston and Elizabeth Paxton. He was one of nine children. His father was a member of
Morgan's Rifle Brigade during the
American Revolutionary War.
Receiving only a basic education, he immigrated with his family to
Maryville, Tennessee following the death of his father in 1807. His mother then took the family to live on Baker Creek, Tennessee. He ran away from home in 1809 and resided for a time with the
Cherokee tribe of Chief
Oolooteka on
Hiwassee Island. He was adopted into the Cherokee Nation and given the name Colonneh or "the Raven". He returned to Maryville in 1812 at the age of 19 and founded a one-room schoolhouse. This was the first school ever built in Tennessee, which had become a
state in 1796.
War of 1812
In 1812 Houston enlisted into the
7th Regiment of Infantry to fight the
British in the
War of 1812. By December of that year, he'd risen from
private to third
lieutenant. At the
Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March 1814 he was wounded by a Creek
arrow. His wound was bandaged, and he rejoined the fight. When
Andrew Jackson called on volunteers to dislodge a group of
Red Sticks (Creek Indians) from their
breastworks (fortifications), Houston volunteered, but during the assault was struck by a bullet in the shoulder and arm. Houston became close to Jackson, even joining Jackson's
Masonic lodge, Cumberland Lodge No. 8, in 1817. Following his recovery he was assigned as an Indian agent to the Cherokees. He left the army in March 1818.
Tennessee politics
Following six months of study at the office of Judge James Trimble he passed the Nashville bar exam, after which he opened a legal practice in
Lebanon, Tennessee. He was made
attorney general of the Nashville district in late 1818 and was also given a command in the state militia. In 1822 he was elected to the
House of Representatives for Tennessee, where he was a staunch supporter of fellow Tennessean and
Democrat Andrew Jackson and was widely considered to be Jackson's political protégé though their treatment of Indians differed greatly. He was a congressman from 1823 to 1827. He was re-elected in 1824. In 1827 he declined to run for re-election to Congress and instead ran for, and won, the office of
governor of Tennessee, defeating the former governor,
William Carroll. He planned to stand for re-election in 1828, but resigned after marrying eighteen year old Eliza Allen. The marriage was forced by Eliza's father, Colonel
John Allen, and never blossomed into a relationship. Houston and Eliza separated shortly after the marriage, for reasons Houston refused to discuss to the end of his life, and divorced in 1837, after he became President of Texas.
He spent time among the Cherokee, married a Cherokee widow named Tiana Rogers Gentry, and set up a
trading post (
Wigwam Neosho near
Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation), apparently drinking heavily the entire time. During this time he was interviewed by
Alexis De Tocqueville. His alleged drunkenness and abandonment of his office and wife caused a rift with his mentor
Andrew Jackson, which wouldn't be healed for several years.
Controversy and trial
On a trip to
New York and
Washington, D.C. on business, Houston became embroiled in a fight with an anti-Jacksonian Congressman. While Houston was in Washington in April 1832, Congressman
William Stanbery of
Ohio made accusations about Houston in a speech on the floor of Congress. Stanbery was attacking Jackson through Houston and accused Houston of being in league with
John Von Fossen and Congressman
Robert S. Rose.
The three men bid on the supplying of rations to Indians who were being forcibly removed because of Jackson's
Indian Removal Act of 1830. Stanbery, now carrying two pistols and a dirk, refused to answer Houston's letters; infuriated, Houston later confronted Stanbery on
Pennsylvania Avenue as he left Mrs. Queen's boardinghouse and proceeded to beat him with a hickory cane. Stanbery did manage to draw one of his pistols, place it at Houston's chest and pull the trigger—the gun misfired.
On April 17 Congress ordered the arrest of Houston, who pleaded self-defense, and hired
Francis Scott Key as his lawyer. Houston was found guilty in the high profile trial, but thanks to high placed friends (among them
James K. Polk), he was only lightly reprimanded. Stanbery then filed charges against Houston in civil court. Judge
William Cranch found Houston liable and fined him $500, a fine he never paid before leaving the country.
Texas
The publicity surrounding the trial resurrected Houston's political reputation, and he left the Cherokee and his wife, Diana Rodgers, also known as Tiana Rodgers, to enter
Mexican Texas in December 1832. Houston had asked his wife, Tiana, to accompany him to Texas, but she wanted to settle down and preferred to stay at the log cabin and trading post. Tiana later remarried a man named Sam McGrady, but died of pneumonia in 1838. Houston didn't remarry until after her death. After reaching
Mexican Texas he was immediately swept up in the politics of the
Mexican state. There has been speculation over the years that Houston went to Texas at the behest of President
Andrew Jackson to seek the annexation of the territory for the United States.
Houston attended the
Convention of 1833 as representative for
Nacogdoches and emerged as a supporter of
William Harris Wharton and his brother who supported complete independence from Mexico, the more radical stance of those represented. He also attended the Consultation of 1835. He was made a
Major General, of the Texas Army in November 1835, then
Commander-in-Chief in March 1836 at the convention which met at
Washington-on-the-Brazos to declare Texan Independence. He negotiated a settlement with the Cherokee in February 1836.
Republic of Texas
Following the
Texas Declaration of Independence on
March 2,
1836, Houston joined his
volunteer army at
Gonzales, but was soon forced to retreat in the face of the forces of Mexican General and dictator
Antonio López de Santa Anna, whose army killed all those at
The Alamo Mission during the
Battle of the Alamo on March 6.
At the
Battle of San Jacinto on
April 21,
1836, however, Houston surprised Santa Anna and the Mexican forces during their afternoon siesta. Badly beaten, Santa Anna was forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco, granting Texas independence. Although Houston stayed on briefly for negotiations, he returned to the United States for treatment of a wound to his ankle.
Houston was twice elected
president of the
Republic of Texas (the first time on
September 5,
1836). He served from
October 22,
1836, to
December 10,
1838, and again from
December 12,
1841 to
December 9,
1844. On
December 20,
1837, Houston presided over the convention of
Freemasons that formed the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas, now the
Grand Lodge of Texas.
He put down the
Cordova Rebellion of 1838 and while initially seeking
annexation by the U.S. he dropped that hope during his first term. In his second term, he strove for financial prudence and worked to make peace with the Indians and avoid war with Mexico, following the two invasions of 1842. He had to act over the
Regulator-Moderator War of 1844 and sent in the
militia.
Settlement of Houston
The settlement of
Houston was founded in August 1836 by brothers
J.K. Allen and
A.C. Allen and named in Houston's honor and served as capital.
Gail Borden helped lay out Houston's streets.
The city of Houston served as the capital until President
Mirabeau Lamar signed a measure moving the capital to
Austin on
January 14,
1839. Between his presidential terms (the constitution didn't allow a president to serve consecutive terms), he was a representative in the Texas House of Representatives for
San Augustine. He was a major critic of President
Mirabeau Lamar, who advocated continuing independence of Texas and its extension to the
Pacific Ocean.
Marriage
On
May 9,
1840, in
Marion,
Alabama, Houston married
Margaret Moffette Lea, with whom he'd eight children. He was 47 and she was 21. Margaret acted as a tempering influence on Houston. Although the Houstons had numerous houses, only one was kept continuously, Cedar Point, on
Trinity Bay from ca. 1840 through 1863.
U.S. Senator
After the
annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845, he was elected to the
U.S. Senate along with
Thomas Jefferson Rusk. Houston served there from
February 21,
1846, until
March 4,
1859. He was a Senator during the
Mexican-American War, when the U.S. acquired from Mexico vast new territory in the
Southwest.
Throughout his term in the Senate, Houston spoke out against the growing
sectionalism of the country, and blamed the extremists of both the North and South, saying: "Whatever is calculated to weaken or impair the strength of [the] Union, — whether originating at the North or the South, — whether arising from the incendiary violence of
abolitionists, or from the coalition of
nullifiers, will never meet with my unqualified approval."
Houston supported the
Oregon Bill in 1848, which was opposed by many Southerners. In his passionate speech in support of the
Compromise of 1850, Houston said "A nation divided against itself can't stand". Eight years later,
Abraham Lincoln would express a similar sentiment.
Houston opposed the
Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, and correctly predicted that it would cause a sectional rift in the country that would eventually lead to war: "…what fields of blood, what scenes of horror, what mighty cities in smoke and ruins — it's brother murdering brother… I see my beloved South go down in the unequal contest, in a sea of blood and smoking ruin." He was only one of two Southern senators (the other being
John Bell of
Tennessee) to vote against the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was considered a potential candidate for president. But, despite the fact that he was a slave-owner, his strong Unionism and opposition to the extension of slavery alienated the
Texas legislature and other southern States.
Governor of Texas
He twice ran for governor of Texas, unsuccessfully in 1857 and successfully against Hardin R. Runnels in 1859 as a Unionist, making him the only person in U.S. history to be the governor of two different states. Despite Houston's being a slave owner and against abolition, he opposed the
secession of Texas from the Union. In 1860, he offered the following prediction: "Let me tell you what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives you may win Southern independence, but I doubt it. The North is determined to preserve this Union."
Despite Houston's wishes, Texas seceded from the United States on
February 1,
1861, and joined the
Confederate States of America on
March 2,
1861. This act was soon branded illegal by Houston, but the Texas legislature nevertheless upheld the legitimacy of secession. The political forces that brought about Texas's secession also were powerful enough to replace the state's Unionist governor. Houston chose not to resist, stating that, "I love Texas too well to bring civil strife and bloodshed upon her. To avert this calamity, I'll make no endeavor to maintain my authority as Chief Executive of this State, except by the peaceful exercise of my functions...." He was evicted from his office on
March 16,
1861, for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to the
Confederacy, writing,
"Fellow-Citizens, in the name of your rights and liberties, which I believe have been trampled upon, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the nationality of Texas, which has been betrayed by the Convention, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the Constitution of Texas, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of my own conscience and manhood, which this Convention would degrade by dragging me before it, to pander to the malice of my enemies....I refuse to take this oath."
He was replaced by Lieutenant Governor
Edward Clark. To avoid more bloodshed in Texas, Houston turned down U.S. Col.
Frederick W. Lander's offer from President
Abraham Lincoln of 50,000 troops to prevent Texas's secession, stating in his response, "Allow me to most respectfully decline any such assistance of the United States Government."
Final years
In 1854, Houston, having earlier made a profession of Christian faith, was baptized by the
Baptist minister, Rufus C. Burleson, who was later the president of
Baylor University, then Baylor College. At the time Burleson was the pastor of the
Independence, Texas, Baptist Church in
Washington County, which Houston and his wife attended. Houston was also a close friend of another Baylor president and Burleson's predecessor as pastor at the Independence church, the Reverend
George Washington Baines, maternal great-grandfather of
Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1862, Houston returned to
Huntsville, Texas, and rented the Steamboat House; the hills in Huntsville reminded him of his boyhood home near Maryville, Tennessee. His health deteriorated quickly over the next few months as he developed a persistent cough. In mid-July, Houston was struck with a severe chill which progressed into
pneumonia. Despite the efforts of Drs. Markham and Kittrell, on
July 26,
1863, at 6:16 p.m, Houston died quietly in his Steamboat House with his wife Margaret by his side. His last recorded words were
"Texas. Texas. Margaret". The inscription on his tomb reads:
» A Brave Soldier. A Fearless Statesman.
A Great Orator — A Pure Patriot. » A Faithful Friend, A Loyal Citizen.
A Devoted Husband and Father. » A Consistent Christian — An Honest Man.
While Sam Houston is buried in Huntsville, Texas, his wife Margaret Lea is buried in the City of Independence, Texas.
Monuments and museums
A bronze equestrian sculpture of Houston is located in Hermann Park in Houston, Texas.
The Sam Houston Wayside near Lexington, Virginia, is a 38,000-pound piece of Texas pink granite commemorating Houston's birthplace.
The Sam Houston Schoolhouse in Maryville, Tennessee, is Tennessee's oldest schoolhouse. In addition to the schoolhouse there's a museum on the grounds.
USS Sam Houston, an Ethan Allen class submarine, was named after Houston.
The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four national forests in Texas, was named after Houston. (External Link
)
The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, located outside of Liberty, Texas has the largest known collection of photographs and illustrations of Houston.
Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, is named after Houston.
Many cities in the U.S. have a street, school, or park named for Houston.
The State of Texas has placed a statue of Sam Houston inside Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol.
The Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas, is named after Houston. The Beatles performed there in 1965.
There is a mural depicting Sam Houston on a gas tank near State Hwy 225 in Houston. (External Link)
Sam Houston Elementary School in Lebanon, TN.
Children
By Margaret Lea
Sam Houston, Jr., 1843-1894
Nancy Elizabeth, 1846-1920
Margaret Lea, 1848-1906
Mary William, 1850-1931
Antoinette Power, 1852-1932
Andrew Jackson Houston, 1854-1941
William Rogers Houston, 1858-1891
Temple Lea Houston, 1860-1905
Popular culture
Houston has been a character in a number of movies. His life story was portrayed in "Man of Conquest", made in 1939, an excellent picture with three Academy Award nominations, and starring Richard Dix. The best known is probably "The First Texan," in which he was played by Joel McCrea. Richard Boone played Houston in the 1960 movie The Alamo. In the 1986 CBS TV movie Gone to Texas: The Sam Houston Story, he was played by Sam Elliott. He makes a brief appearance in the 1987 television movie, portrayed by Lorne Greene. In the 2004 film, "The Alamo", Houston was portrayed by Dennis Quaid. A famous painting of the wounded Houston accepting the surrender of Santa Anna (Surrender of Santa Anna, by William H. Huddle) is recreated in the film.
Houston also appears in a few alternative history novels, including The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, in which he appears attempting to gain support from the French in his campaign to restore Texas's independence, and in 1812: The Rivers of War, by Eric Flint, in which he distinguishes himself at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend during the War of 1812 and isn't seriously wounded. Sent to Washington, D.C., by General Andrew Jackson, he arrives in time to rally fleeing American forces and repels the British invasion of Washington. He later leads an expedition to reinforce Jackson and fights at the Battle of New Orleans. Flint, in his Afterword, refers to the novel "as an alternate biography of Sam Houston."
Further Information
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