Sam Houston (1793-1863)

He was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and moved to Tennessee as a teenager. In 1809, after running away from his family farm he went to live with the Cherokee on an island in the Tennessee River. He was adopted by Chief Oo-loo-te-ka (John Jolly), who became like a father to him and gave him the name "The Raven." He served under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, where he was wounded at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814). He became a lawyer and was elected to Congress from Tennessee (1823-27) and Governor of Tennessee (1827-29). His governorship ended abruptly when his marriage collapsed after just three months amid an undetermined scandal, and he returned to live with his Cherokee family in present-day Oklahoma. In 1832, he moved to Texas, then part of Mexico. He quickly became involved in the independence movement and was named Commander-in-Chief of the Texas army in 1836.

After the fall of the Alamo, he led a strategic retreat before decisively defeating Mexican General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto (April 1836), securing Texas independence, and having captured Santa Anna during the battle proved crucial to negotiations. He was elected as the first and third President of the Republic of Texas (1836-1838, 1841-1844), and when Texas joined the United States in 1845, he became one of its first senators, serving until 1859. He was elected Governor of Texas in 1859 and opposed secession when the Civil War began. When Texas voted to join the Confederacy in 1861, he refused to swear allegiance and was removed from office. He died in 1863 in Huntsville, Texas, where his legacy as Texas's founding father remains deeply celebrated. The City of Houston, Texas, is named for him. He was married three times and had eight children by his third wife.