Sam Houston

Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was a key figure in the history of Texas, and, as of 2005, the only person in U.S. history to have been the governor of two different states — Tennessee and Texas.

U.S. Senator

After the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845, he was elected to the U.S. Senate together with Thomas Jefferson Rusk. Houston served there from February 21, 1846 until March 4, 1859. He was a Senator during the Mexican-American War, when the U.S. acquired from Mexico vast new territory in the Southwest.

Related Topics:
Annexation of Texas - 1845 - Thomas Jefferson Rusk - February 21 - 1846 - March 4 - 1859 - Mexican-American War - Southwest

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Throughout his term in the Senate, Houston spoke out against the growing sectionalism of the country, and blamed the extremists of both the North and South, saying: "Whatever is calculated to weaken or impair the strength of Union, — whether originating at the North or the South, — whether arising from the incendiary violence of abolitionists, or from the coalition of nullifiers, will never meet with my unqualified approval."

Related Topics:
Sectionalism - Abolitionists - Nullifiers

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Houston supported the Oregon Bill in 1848, which was opposed by many Southerners. In his passionate speech in support of the Compromise of 1850, Houston said "A nation divided against itself cannot stand". Eight years later, Abraham Lincoln would express a similar sentiment.

Related Topics:
Oregon Bill - 1848 - Compromise of 1850 - Abraham Lincoln

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Houston opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, and correctly predicted that it would cause a sectional rift in the country that would eventually lead to war: "…what fields of blood, what scenes of horror, what mighty cities in smoke and ruins — it is brother murdering brother… I see my beloved South go down in the unequal contest, in a sea of blood and smoking ruin."

Related Topics:
Kansas-Nebraska Act - 1854

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He was considered a potential candidate for president. But, despite the fact that he was a slave-owner, his strong Unionism and opposition to the extension of slavery alienated the Texas legislature and other southern States. He was a lame duck senator from 1857.

Related Topics:
Texas legislature - Lame duck

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