HOUSTON, SAMUEL (1793-1863). SamHouston, one of the most illustrious political figures of Texas, was born on March 2, 1793, the fifth child (and fifth son) of Samuel and Elizabeth (Paxton) Houston, on their plantation in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Houston spent much of his youth in Tennessee where he became acquainted with the Cherokee Indians.

He excelled in the military and quickly rose to the rank of first lieutenant in second war with England. He was elected to the US Congress in 1823 and again in 1825. In 1827, Houston was elected Governor of Tennessee by a large majority. While governor, Houston quietly resigned from Tennessee politics and returned to live with his longtime friends, the Cherokees. There, he remained until 1832 when he moved to Texas.

Houston was a powerful figure in the war with Mexico for Texas's independence. Houston immediately took control of the Texas forces after the fall of the Alamo and Goliad, and conducted the retreat of the army to the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, where on April 21, 1836, his force defeated Santa Anna and secured Texas long sought independence. In the fall of that year, Houston was elected the first President of the Republic of Texas. Still later, in 1859, Houston was elected to serve as Governor of the State of Texas.

As Governor in 1861, Houston was strongly opposed to the secession of Texas from the Union. Because he was much in the minority on this issue, Houston was removed from office in March of 1861, ending his illustrious carrier in public service.

Sam Houston was in his mid-40s when he met 16-year-old Anna Raguet. Unfortunately, Houston was already married to a wife he had left in Tennessee many years earlier. He was also involved in a common-law relationship with a half-Cherokee woman at the time he met in Tennessee. Houston immediately began divorce proceedings, however they were long and complicated. His divorce was not finalized until 1837, five years after he had met Anna, and a year into his first term as president of the Republic of Texas.

Read more about Sam Houston at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/HH/fho73.html