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The presidency of William Henry Harrison, who died 31 days after taking office in 1841, was the shortest in American history. [ 6 ] Franklin D. Roosevelt served the longest, over twelve years, before dying early in his fourth term in 1945. He is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms. [ 7 ]
Sep 3, 2024 · As the head of the government of the United States, the president is arguably the most powerful government official in the world. The president is elected to a four-year term via an electoral college system. Since the Twenty-second Amendment was adopted in 1951, the American presidency has been limited to a maximum of two terms.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
1836. On April 21, General Sam Houston’s army wins Texas’ independence from Mexico in the Battle of San Jacinto. 1836. Houston founded on August 30 by brothers Augustus C. and John K. Allen, who pay just over $1.40 per acre for 6,642 acres near headwaters of Buffalo Bayou. 1836.
Baptist. Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was a nineteenth century American statesman, politician, and soldier. The Virginia -born Houston was a key figure in the history of Texas, including periods as President of the Republic of Texas, Senator for Texas after it joined the Union, and finally as governor.
- Early Life
- Early Political Rise and Fall
- Sam Houston Goes to Texas
- War Breaks Out in Texas
- The Battle of The Alamo and The Goliad Massacre
- The Battle of San Jacinto
- President of Texas
- Later Political Career
- Death
- The Legacy of Sam Houston
Houston was born in Virginia in 1793 to a middle-class family of farmers. They "went West" early, settling in Tennessee—which was, at that time, part of the western frontier. While still a teenager, he ran off and lived among the Cherokee for a few years, learning their language and their ways. He took a Cherokee name for himself: Colonneh, which m...
Houston soon established himself as a rising political star. He had allied himself closely to Andrew Jackson, who in turn came to see Houston as a protégé. Houston ran first for Congress and then for governor of Tennessee. As a close Jackson ally, he won easily. His own charisma, charm, and presence also had a great deal to do with his success. It ...
Houston made his way to Arkansas, where he lost himself in alcoholism. He lived among the Cherokee and established a trading post. He returned to Washington on behalf of the Cherokee in 1830 and again in 1832. On the 1832 trip, he challenged anti-Jackson Congressman William Stanberry to a duel. When Stanberry refused to accept the challenge, Housto...
On October 2, 1835, hotheaded Texan rebels in the town of Gonzales fired on Mexican troops who had been sent to retrieve a cannon from the town. These were the first shots of the Texas Revolution. Houston was delighted: by then, he was convinced that Texas' separation from Mexico was inevitable and that the fate of Texas lay in independence or stat...
Sam Houston felt that the city of San Antonio and the Alamo fortress were not worth defending. There were too few troops to do so, and the city was too far from the rebels' east Texas base. He ordered Jim Bowieto destroy the Alamo and evacuate the city. Instead, Bowie fortified the Alamo and set up defenses. Houston received dispatches from Alamo c...
The Alamo and Goliad cost the rebels dearly in terms of numbers of soldiers and morale. Houston's army was finally ready to take the field, but he still had only about 900 soldiers, far too few to take on General Santa Anna'sMexican army. He dodged Santa Anna for weeks, drawing the ire of the rebel politicians, who called him a coward. In mid-April...
Although Mexico would subsequently make several half-hearted attempts to re-take Texas, independence was essentially sealed. Houston was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas in 1836. He became president again in 1841. He was a very good president, attempting to make peace with Mexico and the Indigenous peoples who inhabited Texas. M...
Texas was admitted to the United States in 1845. Houston became a senator from Texas, serving until 1859, at which time he became governor of Texas. The nation was wrestling with the enslavement issue at the time and Houston was an active participant in the debate, opposing secession. He proved a wise statesman, working always toward peace and comp...
Sam Houston rented the Steamboat House in Huntsville, Texas in 1862. His health took a downturn in 1862 with a cough that turned into pneumonia. He died on July 26, 1863, and is buried in Huntsville.
The life story of Sam Houston is a gripping tale of rapid rise, fall, and redemption. His second, greatest ascent was remarkable. When Houston came west he was a broken man, but he still had just enough prior fame to immediately take an important role in Texas. A one-time war hero, he prevailed again at the Battle of San Jacinto. His wisdom in spar...
Mar 2, 2023 · Houston is now the largest city in the state of Texas, and the fourth largest in the United States. Though, as you might imagine, that was not always the case. The city of Houston grew from humble beginnings in the new Republic of Texas in August of 1836 when two property investors founded a town just 25 miles from where the Battle of San Jacinto had taken place.
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Presidency [a] Portrait President Party [b] Election Vice President 1: April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797: George Washington: Unaffiliated: 1788–89: John Adams [c]: 1792
