Amanda Planck

April 20, 2016

Texas History 7
Period 8
Sam Houston Biography

Who is Sam Houston? The namesake of Houston, Texas. That guy that has his own statue
in Huntsville, Texas. Or is he just that guy that liked to drink and cheat on his wife? Sam
Houston was an influential figure in both politics and the military. He was a successful lawyer,
politician, and military leader.
Sam Houston was born on March 2, 1793 in Timber Ridge, Rockbridge County, in
Shenandoah Valley to Major Sam Houston and Elizabeth Paxton Houston. Sam Houston was the
fifth of nine children. When he was 13 or 14 years old, Sam Houstons father died while on
militia inspections. A year after her husbands death, Elizabeth Paxton Houston moved her
family to eastern Tennessee. While in Tennessee, Sam worked on the farm, but he was not happy
with this so he ran away from home and went to live with Cherokees in 1809. While Sam was
living with the Cherokees he learned their language and lifestyle. In 1812 Sam moved back to
Maryville, Tennessee where he opened up his own private school. His private school made a
profit therefore Sam Houston was able to pay off some debts he had.
In 1813 Sam Houston joined the U.S. army to help fight in the War of 1812. Sam
Houston badly injured himself in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend during the War of 1812. Sams
bravery and leadership skills caught the attention of General Andrew Jackson. Because of this,
Sam was promoted to Second Lieutenant in May 1814. And in May 1817 Sam Houston was then
promoted to the First Lieutenant. On March 1, 1818, Sam Houston resigned from the
commission of the War after false accusations of being involved in slave trading.
After the war Sam Houston became a negotiator between the Cherokee Native
Americans and the U.S. government. He then began to study the law and passed the bar and was
elected as the Attorney General of the Nashville District in Tennessee. Sam Houston later
resigned to return to private law. In 1822, Sam was elected into the U.S. House of
Representatives and he later became the governor of Tennessee in 1827. On January 22, 1829,
Sam Houston married Eliza Allen, the eighteen year old daughter of Colonel John Allen. On
April 9, 1829, Sam Houston split from Eliza Allen. He then resigned as governor on April 23,
1829, and reunited with his adopted Cherokee father. During August of 1829 Sam Houston got
malaria and was cured with treated with Native American medicine. On April 22, 1830, wrote his
first newspaper column for the Arkansas Gazette to defend the position of Indians. In the summer
of 1830, Sam Houston got married to Tiana Rogers at a Cherokee ceremony. In August of 1832,
Sam Houston met up with Andrew Jackson and it is alleged that Andrew Jackson gave Sam
Houston money for Sam Houston to go to Texas. On December 10, 1832, Sam Houston crossed
the Red River and entered Texas, and on December 12, 1832 Stephen F. Austin approved Sam
Houstons request for head of rights in Texas. Sam Houston didnt file for divorce with Eliza
until November 1832.
On March 1, 1836, Sam Houston was at the Texas Constitutional Convention. On March
2, 1836, Sam Houston and many others signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from
Mexico. Due to Houstons political and military experience, Sam Houston was appointed as the

Major General of the Army of the Republic of Texas. He was in charge of commanding and
organizing the regular, volunteer, and militia armies. On March 5, 1836, Sam Houston leaves the
convention and when he reached Gonzales on March 11, 1836, Sam Houston learned that the
Alamo had fallen. After Houston learned about the fall of the Alamo, he was more determined to
win the war and defeat the Mexicans. Houston gathered up the remaining soldiers and was able
to form an army of 800 attackers. At 4 oclock on April 21, 1836, Sam Houstons army attacked
the Mexicans at San Jacinto. Santa Annas army was of 1400 men and Sam Houston only had
800 men. The Army of the Republic of Texas only lost 6 men and had 13 wounded. Whereas the
Mexican Army lost 630 men and had 208 men wounded. Sam Houston was part of the wounded
and was shot in his leg. On April 22, Santa Anna was captured and sent to Sam Houston where
Santa Anna signed an armistice, a truce.
On May 11, 1836, Sam Houston sailed from Galveston to New Orleans to receive
medical attention to the wounds he received during the Battle of San Jacinto. The doctors had to
remove twenty pieces of bone from Sam Houstons wound. When hearing reports of chaos in the
Texas government, Sam Houston started to head back to Texas. On September 5, 1836, Sam
Houston was elected as the President of the Republic of Texas making Sam Houston the very
first president of the Republic of Texas. While Sam Houston was president he secured the
borders, made a currency for Texas, and gained recognition from the United States. On
December 10, 1838, Sam Houston resigned as President and gave the position to the current Vice
President, Mirabeau B. Lamar.
When Houston returned to Nacogdoches, Texas during the summer of 1839, he made a
speech against President Mirabeau Lamars campaign against the Native Americans. This
resulted in one of Sam Houstons old friends from the Cherokee Native Americans. On May 9,
1840, Houston got married to Margaret Lea in Marion, Alabama. On May 25, 1843, Sam
Houstons first son, Sam Houston Junior, was born at Washington on the Brazos. On December
29, 1845, Texas became an official state in the United States of America. At the time James K.
Polk was president of the United States. Sam Houston then became one of the first senators for
Texas on March 12, 1846. Sam Houston was the first senator to break the unwritten rule that
brand new senators are supposed to remain silent. On April 23, 1846, Sam Houstons first
daughter Nancy Elizabeth Houston was born at Raven Hill. On January 24, 1848, Houston was
sworn in for his first full term as a United States Senator and remained a Senator until 1860. In
between the years of 1848 and 1852 Sam Houston had three more daughters that were all born in
Huntsville.
Sam Houston never did make it to the White House, but if he did want to become the
President, his alcohol abuses and positon on slavery would never get him the vote. Although Sam
Houston owned slaves, he was opposed to expanding slavery into new territories. When the Civil
War broke out, Sam Houston would not pledge his allegiance to the Confederate States of
America. This resulted in the Texas legislature discharging him from his duties as Senator. Sam
Houston then moved back to Huntsville, Texas to live with his family. He resided with his wife,
Margaret Lea, and his eight children. On July 26, 1863, Sam Houston died of pneumonia in the
Steamboat House at Huntsville, Texas. He helped out Texas a lot by ruling in the government and
fighting in the war. We remember him as a great man who helped Texas become an independent
state.