Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/392

 HOUSTON

HOUSTON

at San Jacinto, and was sent to New Orleans for treatment. From there he sent a protest against the execution of Santa Anna by the Texans who clamored for his blood to avenge the Alamo and Goliad; and they allowed him his life according to the terms of the agreement. While absent from the state, Lamar was made commander- in-chief and an election for President of the republic had been ordered by the March conven- tion. Twelve days before the general election, which was held July 22, 1836, General Houston announced himself as a candidate and he was chosen President, receiving 4374 out of a total of 5104 votes. He took possession of the office in October. Santa Anna was then released bj' him and sent under escort to Washington by way of New Orleans. Texas was recognized by the United States as an independent republic, and the recognition was coupled with the notifica- tion that the question of annexation could not be considered. Great Britain and France made special commercial treaties with the new re- public. The army became insubordinate and was disbanded and re-organized, Albert Sidney Johnston being made senior major-general. Houston kept up his drinking habits, in spite of which he held the respect of the community. He married as his third wife Margaret M. Lea, of Alabama, in 1841. She finally succeeded in re- forming liis habits and he abandoned drinking and swearing and became a consistent member of the Baptist cliurcli. The constitution of Texas rendered the President ineligible for two succeed- ing terms, and in 1826 Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected President and Gen- eral Houston served two terms in the Texan congress as senator, 1839-41, during which time Great Britain,

France, Holland and Belgium recogniz- ed Texan independ- ence. In Decem- ber, 1841, Houston aifuji.e ar Ttx*t was Inaugurated

President of Texas for the second time, and in order to restore financial credit, then greatly impaired, lie suggested the reduction of all official salaries one half, which was acted on, his own salary being reduced from $10,000 to .$0000, and during his three years' term the treasury paid out less than .$440,000. In 1842 Santa Anna under- took to renew the invasion of Texas, which only resulted in a sharp correspondence between Pres- ident Houston and the Mexican dictator. In

June, 1843, President Houston directed the Texan minister at Washington to withdraw the applica- tion filed with the government for annexation to the United States and then after receiving assur- ances of protection during negotiation, appointed a special commissioner to renew the proposal for annexation. When it came before the senate with a commendatory message from President Tyler it was rejected by a vote of 35 to 16. Houston then sent instructions to Anson Jones, the Texan secretary of state, to accept the offer of Lord Aberdeen to arrange for the permanent independence of Texas. This action aroused the alarm and jealousy of the United States, and on the issue the Democratic party se- cured the election of James K. Polk as President. On Feb. 14, 1845, a joint resolution passed con- gress for the admission of Texas into the Union, and on Oct. 14, 1845, the republic of Texas be- came one of the United States and Sam Hous- ton and Thomas J. Rusk were chosen U.S. senators. Houston drew the short term and took his seat, March 4, 1846. In January, 1847, he was re-elected, and again in January, 1853, his third term expiring March 3, 1859. In the senate he voted against the introduction of slavery in Oregon; in favor of the admission 6{ California as a free state; for the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia; for the Clay com- promise measures; and against the Nebraska bill, being one of the two opponents to the measure from southern states, the other being Jolin Bell, of Tennessee. He received eight votes for Presi- dential nominee in the Democratic national con- vention of 1852, three votes in the American national convention of 1856 and fifty-seven votes in the Constitutional Union national convention of 1860. In 1857 he was defeated by Hardin R. Runnels for governor of Texas, and in 1859 he failed of re-election to the U.S. senate. The same year he was elected governor over Runnels, but the Secessionists elected a majority of the legislature and most of the executive officers. He took no part in the pi'esidential election of 1860 but worked against secession and was denounced as a traitor to the South. He vetoed the resolu- tion recognizing the authority of the Texan state convention of Jan. 28, 1861, and the resolution was passed over his veto and the convention car- ried the state out of the Union by a vote of 167 to 7. As governor" he then submitted to the will of the people, rather than involve the state in a civil war. He declined to take the oath of alle- giance to the Confederacy and was declared de- posed from office and Edmund Clark was sworn in as governor. He declined a commission of major-general in the U.S. army offered him by President Lincoln. He had four sons and two daughters, children by his tliird wife. His eldest