HOUSTON, Sam, American soldier and statesman: b. near Lexington, Va., 2 March 1793; d. Huntsville, Tex., 26 July 1863. In 1806, after the death of his father, the family moved to Tennessee. Some years later he left home, crossed the Tennessee River and took up his abode with the Indians, by whom he was kindly received, and with whom he lived after their own fashion for several years. Oolooteka, one of their chiefs, adopted him as his son. In 1811 he returned to his family, and to main tain himself opened a school. In 1813 he en listed as a common soldier in the United States army, was soon promoted ensign and lieutenant and fought under General Jackson, who from then on became his admirer and friend, against the Indians at the battle of Tallapoosa, in March 1814. There he received a severe wound which gave him considerable trouble throughout his entire life. In November 1817 he was ap pointed Indian sub-agent to carry out the treaty with the Cherokees just ratified. In the following winter he conducted a delegation of Indians to Washington. On arriving he found that complaints had been made against him to the government on account of the zeal with which he had exerted himself to prevent the un lawful importation of African negroes through Florida, then a Spanish province, into the Southern States. He was acquitted of all blame, but conceiving himself to he ill treated he resigned his commission in the army, and returning to Tennessee settled in Nashville and began the study of law. In 1819 he was elected district attorney, and in 1821 was chosen major general of militia. In 1823 he was elected to Congress, was re-elected in 1825, and in 1827 was chosen governor of Tennessee.
In January 1829 he married Miss Eliza Allen, member of a prominent Tennessee fam ily. Three months later his wife left him for reasons unknown; he immediately resigned his office, separated from his family, and deserting civilization, went to Arkansas, where his for mer Indian friends, the Cherokees, had re. moved. He was kindly received and for years remained with the Indians. In 1832 he went to Texas and at the outbreak of the Mexican War (q.v.), was elected commander-in-chief of the Texan army.
After the massacre of the Alamo, the Mexican President-general, Santa Anna, was defeated by Houston at the battle of San Ja cinto, 21 April 1836. Santa Anna was cap tured by the Texans and the independence of Texas was achieved. On 23 July a general elec tion for President, Vice-President, and mem bers of Congress of the republic of Texas was ordered to take place on the first Monday of the following September. Houston was solic
ited to be a candidate, but declined; but as the day of election approached the popular feeling in his favor became so manifest that he had no alternative but to accept. He was elected by a large majority, one of the other candidates being S. F. Austin (q.v.), and was in augurated 22 Oct. 1836. One of his first acts was to liberate Santa Anna, who had been kept in captivity, and to send him to Washington to confer with the President of the United States. He next opened negotiations with the United States government for the annexation of Texas to the Union, but the measure encountered such strong opposition in the United States that it did not succeed till several years later. Houston was again elected as President of Texas in 1841.
Texas became one of the United States in 1845, and Houston and Rusk were the first sen ators sent to Washington. Houston was re elected at the end of his term in 1853, and re mained in the Senate till March 1859. Both during his service in the Senate and House of Representatives he distinguished himself by his powerful eloquence. As a senator he was op posed to the Kansas and Nebraska bill, against which he made one of his most elaborate speeches, in which he declared that the repeal of the Missouri Compromise was a flagrant breach of faith, which would involve the coqn try in interminable agitation and difficulty. He was prominently mentioned in 1854 as a presi dential candidate of the "Know-Nothing* party. He was elected governor of Texas 1 Aug. 1859, but was deposed for adherence to the Union in 1861. After that he retired to Huntsville, Tex. The city of Houston, Tex. (q.v.), was named in his honor. A statue of Houston by Ney is in the statuary hall of the Capitol at Washington. Consult Anon., 'The Life of Sam Houston, the Hunter, etc.' (Philadelphia 1866) ; Bradley, G. D., 'Winning the South west) (Chicago 1912) ; Bruce, H., 'Life of General Houston) (New York 1891) ; Bryan, G. S., 'Sam Houston) (New York 1917) ; Crane, W. C., 'Life and Select Literary Re mains of Sam Houston) (Philadelphia 1884) ; Dyer, O., 'Great Senators of the United States: 40 Years Ago (1848-49)) (New York 1889) ; Elliott, S. B., 'Sam Houston' (Boston 1900); Lester, C. E., 'Sam Houston and His (New York 1846) ; Sabin, E. L., 'With Sam Houston in Texas' (Philadelphia 1916) ; Uni ted States. House of Representatives, 'Statues of Sam Houston and S. F. Austin, etc.) (in United States, House Documents, 58th Con gress, 3d Session, No. 474, Washington 1905) ; Williams, A. M., (Sam Houston and the War of Independence in Texas) (Boston 1893).