Hearne, Sam Houston

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)