Sam Houston

Samuel Houston was a commander and politician from the United States who was instrumental in the Texas Revolution. He was the Republic of Texas's first and third president, and he was one of the first two people to represent Texas in the United States Senate. He was also the sixth governor of Tennessee and the seventh governor of Texas, making him the first person in US history to be elected governor of two distinct states. In the War of 1812, he served under General Andrew Jackson, and after the war, he presided over the expulsion of numerous Cherokee from Tennessee. Houston was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1823 with the help of Jackson and others.

Houston moved to Texas in 1832. Following the Battle of Gonzales, he assisted in the formation of Texas' provisional government and was appointed as the highest-ranking official in the Texas Army. He led the Texan Army to victory at the Fight of San Jacinto, the pivotal battle in Texas's independence war against Mexico. Following the conflict, Houston was elected president of Texas in 1836. Houston was instrumental in the United States' annexation of Texas in 1845, and he was elected to the United States Senate in 1846. He joined the Democratic Party and backed President James K. Polk's decision to prosecute the Mexican-American War.

Houston served in Congress representing Tennessee and as its governor, in addition to spells as an Indian agent. He returned to live with the Cherokee after a bad marriage. All of this occurred before he ever set foot in Texas, which he saw as a land of opportunity. Houston led the victorious Texas army in its fight for independence from Mexico, served two terms as the new republic's president, oversaw its annexation by the United States, represented Texas in the United States Senate, and attempted to prevent the state from seceding as its unionist governor.