Texana Thursday: Celebrating Sam Houston’s Birthday

Sam Houston in 1850 (public domain photo)

Texans know March 2 as Texas Independence Day. At a small shack at a place called Washington-on-the-Brazos in 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. The Battle of San Jacinto, fought and won by the Texans on April 21, 1836, began Texas’s journey to republic and, eventually, to the 28th state in the United States.

Texas Independence Day happens to coincide with Sam Houston’s birthday. He was born in 1793 in Virginia, grew up in Tennessee, then came to Texas and earned his place in history.

Here are some fun facts about Houston as we celebrate his 224th birthday.

1. He was a protégé of President Andrew Jackson.

Andrew Jackson, like Houston, grew up in Tennessee. Jackson made his name for his leadership at the Battle of New Orleans, which was a dramatic victory for United States Army despite occurring after the end of the War of 1812. Jackson would go on to be the seventh president of the United States.

Jackson followed Houston’s career with interest, and the two men remained friends. Houston returned to Tennessee to visit Jackson in 1845, only to learn that Jackson had died just hours before he arrived. According to a biography of Houston, The Raven, Houston and his son were brought to the room where Jackson had died and where his remains lay. Houston told his son to remember that he looked upon the face of Andrew Jackson.

2. He served as governor of two states.

Houston served as Tennessee governor in 1827-1829. He served as Texas governor from 1859-1861.

Unfortunately for Houston, he was forced to relinquish both governorships.

In Tennessee, his wife of 11 weeks, Eliza Allen, left him, leaving Houston in an untenable situation, though neither side ever spoke of what happened. He abruptly resigned the governorship and settled with the Cherokee Indians for a time.

In Texas, the state seceded from the United States in 1861 to join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War. Houston and other leaders were expected to swear loyalty oaths to the Confederacy. Houston refused, and relinquished the office. He returned to his home in Huntsville, where he died in 1863.

In more recent years, former Massachusetts Governor William “Bill” Weld tried to follow Houston’s experience of serving as governor of different states. He unsuccessfully sought the New York governorship in 2006.

3. One biography of Houston won the Pulitzer Prize.

Marquis James’s book The Raven won the Pulitzer Prize. It was published in 1929 and is arguably the best-known book about Houston. It remains in print through the University of Texas Press.

Yet James’s book isn’t the last word on Sam Houston. More recent works include John Hoyt Williams’s Sam Houston: A Biography of the Father of Texas (1993) and James L. Haley’s Sam Houston (1994). Bill O’Neal studied Houston’s leadership style and wrote Sam Houston: A Study in Leadership (2016).

Houston’s story has made it onto DVD as well. A documentary, Sam Houston: American Statesman, Soldier and Pioneer (2009) is an excellent documentary about the man and his life. It features commentary from top Houston and Texas scholars, along with political luminaries from both Texas and Tennessee. To learn more about the video, visit samhoustonmovie.com.