Texas- Sam Houston
The subject of the statue standing next to Huey Pierce Long in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol is Sam Houston, one of the two statues selected by Texas. Huey Pierce Long has his right arm raised, most likely in an oratory gesture, however another reason to raise a right hand is to pledge honor. Honor was something Sam Houston took seriously.
In 1812, the British were trying to regain ground they had lost during the Revolutionary War. Sam was 20 years old when he decided to join the army to fight the British as his father had decades earlier. Sam’s mom gave him his father’s musket and his gold ring with the word “Honor” engraved inside. Sam Houston, was a unique man that led an interesting life, and he strove to be a man of honor.
Sam was born in Virginia on March 2, 1793. His family moved to Tennessee after his father died when he was 13-years-old. Sam left home when he was 16, and decided to live with the Cherokee Indians across the river from his home. He was accepted as a son by the Cherokee Chief, but he did retain contact with his birth family.
After about three years, Sam had accumulated debt. His sense of honor required that he earn money to pay back that debt. Sam left his adopted Cherokee family and returned home where he taught school for a few years.
During the War of 1812, Sam joined the American soldiers and fought bravely. Sam was wounded during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. His courage, drew the attention of General Andrew Jackson, and the two remained friends for life.
After the war, Sam Houston became a lawyer and Nashville’s Solicitor General. Soon after, he was elected Congressman of Tennessee in the House of Representatives. He served a few terms before running for Governor of Tennessee. He was elected.
Sam’s friend Andrew Jackson was now President Andrew Jackson. Both men knew the West would play an important role in America’s future. Sam decided to go to Texas, which was under General Santa Anna’s control. Soon after the losses at The Alamo and other battles, Sam Houston once again became a soldier. His leadership help defeat Santa Anna’s army and Texas now had its independence. Sam Houston was elected the president of the Republic of Texas.
He did support statehood in America, and in 1845 Texas became the 28th state of America. Sam Houston served as a US Senator of Texas for ten years, from 1849 until 1859. He was elected governor of Texas in 1859, but in 1861 he was forced to step down when he did not support secession from the United States. Sam Houston was the only American elected governor of two states.
Sam Houston led a colorful life. He was married three times. He once caned a congressman on Pennsylvania Avenue, for having unjustly accused him of fraud. Francis-Scott-Key (Star-Spangled Banner fame) defended him in court! Sam Houston was a stubborn man, and liked to wear a leopard vest, because he said, like a leopard, his spots never would change.
A wonderful book, “Magnificent Sam” written by an author friend of mine, Laurie Cockerell, is a great book to read for more about Sam Houston. It is written for children, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Visit www.magnificentsam.com for more links about Sam and the book.
Diana Erbio is a freelance writer and author of “Coming to America: A Girl Struggles to Find her Way in a New World”. Read more in her series Statues: The People They Salute visit The Table of Contents and the Facebook Page. (I’ll be adding to the Substack Table of Contents as I transfer the Blog Posts. Please subscribe to this Substack 😊🇺🇸🤓)
An interesting and informative article.
Quite a character and a man of character!