LAMAR, Mirabeau Buonaparte, American politician, second President of the republic of Texas : b. Louisville, Ga., 16 Aug. 1798; d. Rich mond, Tex., 19 Dec. 1859. After being em ployed a number of years in mercantile business and farming, he established in 1828 the Colum bus Inquirer, a journal devoted to the defense of State rights, and was actively engaged in politics until his removal in 1835 to Texas. Ar riving there at the outbreak of the revolution, he at once sided with the party in favor of in dependence, and participated in the battle of San Jacinto, to the successful issue of which the charge of the cavalry under his command greatly contributed. He was soon after called into the Cabinet as Attorney-General, a position which he subsequently exchanged for that of Secretary of War. In 1836 he was elected the first Vice-President of Texas, having for some months previous held the rank of major-general in the army. In 1838 he was elected President, in which office he remained until 1841. During
his term of office Texas was formally rec ognized as an independent republic by the prin cipal powers of Europe. He founded the edu cational system, advocating the grant of three leagues of land to each county for the mainte nance of an academy and 50 leagues for two universities. Upon the breaking out of war be tween Mexico and the United States in 1846, he joined General Taylor at Matamoras, and fought at the battle of Monterey. He subse quently stationed himself with an armed force at Laredo, where for two years he was engaged in constant conflicts with the Comanches, whose depredations on the frontier he greatly curtailed. He was appointed United States Minister to Argentina in 1857, but did not go to his post. The last public position which he held was that of United States Minister to Nicaragua and Costa Rica, from which he had but lately re turned when he died. He published 'Verse Memorials' (1857).