Sam Houston papers

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 Cherokee, 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 Houston's life:

• 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, Tennessee, 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