President of the Republic of Texas
| President of the Republic of Texas | |
|---|---|
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Seal of The Republic of Texas (1839-45)
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| Precursor | Political Chief (Mexico) |
| Formation | 16 March 1836 (Interim) 22 October 1836 (Constitutional) |
| First holder |
Sam Houston (David G. Burnet, Interim March–October 1836) |
| Final holder | Anson Jones |
| Succession | Governor of Texas |
The President of the Republic of Texas was the head of state when Texas was an independent republic from 1836 to 1846.
The Republic of Texas was formed in 1836. In the midst of the Texas Revolution, Texan settlers elected delegates to the Convention of 1836, which issued the Texas Declaration of Independence and elected David G. Burnet as interim president of the new country. In May 1836 Burnet and Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna, who was at the time a Texan prisoner-of-war, signed the Treaties of Velasco officially recognizing Texas's break from Mexico.
The authority and responsibilities of the president was similar to that of the President of the United States: to serve the people of Texas, and to serve as the head of the military and the state. These were detailed in the Constitution of the Republic of Texas of 1836. The Constitution specified a term of two years for the first elected president (Sam Houston) and terms of three years thereafter; the president could not succeed himself, but there were otherwise no term limits. The president was elected separately from the vice president, by popular vote, and there was no requirement to be native-born. A strict reading of the Constitution provided for women's suffrage (that is, both men and women were citizens and could vote for Congress, president, and other offices), but women and preachers or priests were not allowed to serve as president or in Congress. Indians and Africans and those of African descent could not be citizens.
The president lived in different towns during the life of the Republic, as the capital was relocated, especially during and immediately after the Texas Revolution. Washington-on-the-Brazos was Texas' first capital in 1836 (provisional), followed quickly by Harrisburg 1836 (provisional), Galveston 1836 (provisional), Velasco 1836 (provisional), Columbia 1836–37, Houston, 1837–39, and finally Austin, the modern capital, 1839–46.
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