Sam Houston

Sam Houston
Sam Houston circa 1850
7th Governor of Texas
In office December 21, 1859 – March 16, 1861
Lieutenant	Edward Clark
Preceded by	Hardin Richard Runnels
Succeeded by	Edward Clark
United States Senator from Texas
In office February 21, 1846 – March 4, 1847
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Vacant
In office December 18, 1847 – March 4, 1859
Preceded by	Vacant
Succeeded by	John Hemphill
1st and 3rd President of Texas
In office December 21, 1841 – December 9, 1844
Vice President	Edward Burleson
Preceded by	Mirabeau B. Lamar
Succeeded by	Anson Jones
In office October 22, 1836 – December 10, 1838
Vice President	Mirabeau B. Lamar
Preceded by	David G. Burnet (ad interim)
Succeeded by	Mirabeau B. Lamar
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the San Augustine district
In office 1839–1841
6th Governor of Tennessee
In office October 1, 1827 – April 16, 1829
Lieutenant	William Hall
Preceded by	William Carroll
Succeeded by	William Hall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 7th district
In office March 4, 1823 – March 4, 1827
Succeeded by	John Bell
Personal details
Born	(1793-03-02)March 2, 1793 Rockbridge County, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 26, 1863(1863-07-26) (aged 70) Huntsville, Texas, C.S.
Resting place	Oakwood Cemetery Huntsville, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1829) Democratic (1846–1854) Unionist (1854–1860) Constitutional Union (1860–1861)
Religion	Baptist (formerly Roman Catholic)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States  Texas
Service/branch	United States Army Army of the Republic of Texas
Years of service	U.S. Army: 1813–18 Texian Army: 1835–36
Rank	U.S. Army: First lieutenant Texian Army: Major general
Unit	U.S. Army: 39th Infantry Regiment
Commands	Texian Army: Army of the Republic of Texas
Battles/wars	War of 1812  • Battle of Horseshoe Bend Texas Revolutionary War  • Battle of San Jacinto

Samuel "Sam" Houston (March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American politician and soldier, best known for his role in bringing Texas into the United States as a constituent state. His victory at the Battle of San Jacinto secured the independence of Texas from Mexico in one of the shortest decisive battles in modern history. The only American to be elected governor of two states (as opposed to territories or indirect selection), Houston was also the only governor within a future Confederate state to oppose secession (which led to the outbreak of the American Civil War) and to refuse an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, a decision that led to his removal from office by the Texas secession convention.

Houston was born at Timber Ridge Plantation in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He was of Scots-Irish descent. After moving to Tennessee, he spent time with the Cherokee Nation (into which he later was adopted as a citizen and into which he married), performed military service during the War of 1812, and successfully participated in Tennessee politics. In 1827, Houston was elected Governor of Tennessee as a Jacksonian. In 1829, he resigned as governor and relocated to the Arkansas Territory. In 1832, Houston was involved in an altercation with a U.S. Congressman, followed by a high-profile trial.

Shortly afterwards, he moved west to Coahuila y Tejas, then a Mexican state, and became a leader of the Texas Revolution. After the war, Houston became a key figure in Texas and was elected as the first and third President of the Republic of Texas. He supported annexation by the United States and upon achieving it in 1845, he became a U.S. Senator and finally a governor of the State of Texas in 1859, whereby Houston became the only person to have become the governor of two different U.S. states through popular election, as well as the only state governor to have been a foreign head of state.