Sam Houston

The life history of Sam Houston is filled with acts of patriotism, leadership, and treatment of his fellow man with respect and courtesy. Houston was born in Virginia and spent most of his early years in Tennessee, where he became a political ally of Andrew Jackson. Houston is the only person in U. S. history to have served as governor of two states (Tennessee and Texas) and as president of a foreign land (the Republic of Texas). Houston found the American Indian to be worthy of his respect and trust, an area where he and Jackson took opposing sides. Houston was adopted by the Cherokee Indians in Tennessee and married a Cherokee woman.

Sam Houston had a very successful military career that included serving with a Tennessee regiment against the British in the War of 1812. After the war, Houston returned to Tennessee, where he served under a judge in Nashville and passed the bar examination to become an attorney. Houston became attorney general of the Nashville district in 1818. Prior to becoming Tennessee’s governor in 1827, Houston was elected to the state’s House of Representatives. He left Tennessee in the early 1830s and moved to Texas, where he became involved in the effort to declare independence from Mexico. He formed a state militia and defeated Mexican forces under Santa Anna to establish the Republic of Texas.

After serving twice as the President of the Republic of Texas, Houston entered the U.S. Senate when Texas was annexed into the Union in 1845. Houston became governor of Texas in 1859 and was a major voice against secession of the state from the Union, despite being a slave owner. Sam Houston died in 1863 after a battle with pneumonia.