SAM HOUSTON
Name: Sam Houston
Born: 2 March 1793 Rockbridge County, Virginia
Died: 26 July 1863 Huntsville, Texas
Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793-July 26, 1863) was a 19th century American
statesman, politician, and soldier. Born 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, an
historical park, a university, and the largest statue of an American figure.
Name: Sam Houston
Born: 2 March 1793 Rockbridge County, Virginia
Died: 26 July 1863 Huntsville, Texas
Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793-July 26, 1863) was a 19th century American
statesman, politician, and soldier. Born 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, an
historical park, a university, and the largest statue of an American figure.