Hearne, Sam Houston

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Sam Houston's colorful public life began with his heroic action during the War of 1812. He served as congressman and governor of Tennessee, spent years among the Indians, was commander-in-chief of the Texas army in the Texas Revolution, then president of the Republic of Texas, and later Texas senator and governor.

Chronology of Sam Houston's Life and Career

  • March 2, 1793: Houston's birth to Samuel and Elizabeth (Paxton) Houston in Rockbridge County, Virginia
  • 1813: Enlisted in the United States Army
  • May 1818: Resigned from the Army as a first lieutenant, to begin the study of law
  • October 1818: Elected district attorney of Nashville, Tennesse, district
  • ca. 1819: Appointed adjutant general of the Tennessee state militia with rank of colonel
  • 1821: Elected major general of the state militia
  • 1823: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives as delegate from Tennessee
  • 1825: Re-elected to U.S. Congress
  • 1827: Elected governor of Tennessee
  • 1829: Married and separated from Eliza H. Allen of Gallatin, Tennessee
  • 1829: Resigned as governor of Tennessee
  • 1829 - 1835 : Served as business and diplomatic agent for the Cherokees in the Indian Territory
  • 1832: Houston's probable first trip into Texas
  • 1833: Returned to Texas to attend the Convention of 1833 as a representative of Nacogdoches
  • 1835: Elected delegate to the Consultation, and the General Council elected him major general of the Texas Army
  • 1836: Elected delegate to the Convention of 1836; elected commander-in-chief of the Texas Army; led army to victory at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21
  • 1836 - 1838 : Elected and served as President of the Republic of Texas
  • 1839 - 1841 : Elected and served as representative from San Augustine County to the Fourth and Fifth Congresses
  • 1840: Married Margaret Moffette Lea in Marion, Alabama
  • 1841 - 1844 : Elected and served second term as President of the Republic of Texas
  • 1845: Elected delegate from Montgomery County to the Convention of 1845
  • 1846 - 1859 : Elected by the Texas Legislature to the U.S. Senate
  • 1856: Discussed as possible presidential candidate for the Know-Nothing Party
  • 1857: Defeated in election for governor of Texas
  • 1859: Elected governor of Texas
  • 1860: Discussed as possible presidential candidate for the Constitutional Union Party
  • 1861: Declined to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was ousted as governor by the Secession Convention
  • July 26, 1863: Died at his home in Huntsville, Texas

From the guide to the Sam Houston Hearne Collection 21794369., 1820-1929, (Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

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