Initially, too, he drank so heavily that he reportedly earned the nickname "Big Drunk. He was granted Cherokee citizenship and often acted as a tribal emissary. Houston impressed the Frenchman as an individual of great physical and moral energy, the universal American in perpetual motion; Houston undoubtedly served as an example for Tocqueville's composite description of the "nervous American," the man-on-the-make so pervasive in the United States during the Age of Jackson.
On the evening of April 13, , on the streets of Washington, Houston thrashed William Stanbery, United States representative from Ohio, with a hickory cane.
The assault resulted from a perceived insult by Stanbery over an Indian rations contract. Houston was soon arrested and tried before the House of Representatives. Francis Scott Key served as his attorney. The month-long proceedings ended in an official reprimand and a fine, but the affair catapulted Houston back into the political arena. Leaving Diana and his life among the Indians, Houston crossed the Red River into Mexican Texas on December 2, , and began another, perhaps the most important, phase of his career.
His "true motives" for entering Texas have been the source of much speculation. Whether he did so simply as a land speculator, as an agent provocateur for American expansion intent on wresting Texas from Mexico, or as someone scheming to establish an independent nation, Houston saw Texas as his "land of promise.
He quickly became embroiled in the Anglo-Texans' politics of rebellion. He served as a delegate from Nacogdoches at the Convention of in San Felipe, where he sided with the more radical faction under the leadership of William H. He also pursued a law practice in Nacogdoches and filed for a divorce from Eliza, which was finally granted in As prescribed by Mexican law, he was baptized into the Catholic Church , under the name Samuel Pablo. In September he chaired a mass meeting in Nacogdoches to consider the possibility of convening a consultation.
By October, Houston had expressed his belief that war between Texas and the central government was inevitable. That month he became commander in chief of troops for the Department of Nacogdoches and called for volunteers to begin the "work of liberty.
On November 12 the Consultation appointed Houston major general of the Texas army. During February , Houston and John Forbes , as commissioners for the provisional government , negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee Indians in East Texas, thus strategically establishing peace on that front. In March, Houston served as a delegate from Refugio to the convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos, where, on his birthday, March 2, the assembly adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Two days later Houston received the appointment of major general of the army from the convention, with instructions to organize the republic's military forces. After joining his army in Gonzales, Houston and his troops retreated eastward as the Mexican army under Gen. This campaign caused Houston much anguish because the Texan rebels suffered from a general lack of discipline. He likewise fretted when the citizenry fled in the so-called Runaway Scrape. Despite these problems, Houston and his men defeated Santa Anna's forces at the decisive battle of San Jacinto on the afternoon of April 21, During this engagement, his horse, Saracen, was shot beneath him, and Houston was wounded severely just above his ankle.
The capture of Santa Anna the next day made the victory complete. At San Jacinto, Sam Houston became forever enshrined as a member of the pantheon of Texas heroes and a symbol for the age. Riding the wave of popularity as "Old Sam Jacinto," Houston became the first regularly elected president of the Republic of Texas , defeating Stephen F. During his two presidential terms he successfully guided the new ship of state through many trials and tribulations. His first term lasted from October 22, , to December 10, The town of Houston was founded in , named in his honor, and served as the capital of the republic during most of his first administration.
During this term Houston sought to demilitarize Texas by cannily furloughing much of the army. He also tried, with limited success, to avoid trouble between White settlers and Indians. Although Houston favored annexation, his initial efforts to bring Texas into the Union proved futile, and he formally withdrew the offer by the end of his first term.
After leaving office because the Constitution of the Republic of Texas barred a president from succeeding himself, Houston served in the Texas House of Representatives as a congressman from San Augustine from to He was in the forefront of the opposition to President Mirabeau B. Lamar , who had been Houston's vice president. Houston particularly criticized Lamar's expansionist tendencies and harsh measures toward the Indians. A strict Baptist, Margaret served as a restraining influence on her husband and especially bridled his drinking.
They had eight children: Sam Houston, Jr. Houston succeeded Lamar to a second term as president from December 12, , to December 9, During this administration, Houston stressed financial austerity and drastically reduced government offices and salaries. He and the Congress even tried to sell the four-ship Texas Navy , an effort forcibly prevented by the people of Galveston. Houston reestablished peace with the Indians by making treaties with the bands that still remained in Texas.
Although many Texans clamored for action, President Houston deftly managed to avoid war with Mexico after the two Mexican invasions of After the first incursion Houston directed that the government archives be moved from Austin, an order that ultimately resulted in the " Archive War ," in which residents of Austin forcibly prevented removal of the files.
After the second invasion Houston authorized a force under Gen. Houston is one of the most powerful figures in Texas — and American — history. He was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia. When his father died in , his family moved to Tennessee and started a farm. Houston resisted the idea of farm work or helping out at their family's small store in nearby Maryville.
In he went to live with nearby Cherokees who adopted him as "The Raven". Houston joined the army in , where he excelled. Wounded at the battle of Horseshoe Bend, he gained the favor of Andrew Jackson. He served the government in Indian affairs, studied law, and quickly rose to public office. Eventually, Houston was Attorney General, a member of the U. House of Representatives, and Governor of Tennessee.
After a brief unhappy marriage, Houston retired from Tennessee politics to live among Indians in what is now Oklahoma. Gradually easing back into politics, he migrated to Texas where he served as a delegate at the Convention of Houston was soon citing the need for military action against Mexico, and in was appointed major general of the Texas army.
Houston made peace with the Indians of the region so the Texians could focus on their push for Independence without distraction. Soon he would organize the Republic of Texas's first army. When Santa Anna's forces drove the Texians from the Alamo and across the state, Houston struggled to keep his forces intact. The Mexicans, though marching with limited supplies and support, had many trained professionals in their army.
Not so with the Texian army. The city of Houston was named in his honor in , and that same year, the newly christened Lone Star Republic elected him as its president. Senator until If Houston had his eye on the White House, he was no doubt compromised by his personal transgressions with women and alcohol.
In addition, his views on slavery put him in conflict with the country's southern states. Although he was an enslaved person owner himself, Houston was opposed to the expansion of slavery in the new territories. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Houston, who'd been elected governor of Texas in , refused to pledge his allegiance to the Confederate States of America. An infuriated Texas legislature discharged him of his duties.
Houston, who had married for a third time in , to Margaret Lea, with whom he had eight children, retired from politics. He died at his home in Huntsville, Texas, on July 26, We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Whitney Houston was an American singer and actress whose first four albums, released between and , amassed global sales in excess of 86 million copies.
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