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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Sam Houston, one of the most imposing figures ever |
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to lead the Lone Star State, was born on March 2, 1793, near |
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Lexington, Virginia; and |
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WHEREAS, After moving at a young age to eastern Tennessee |
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with his widowed mother and eight brothers and sisters, Sam Houston |
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ran away from home and lived for three years among the Cherokee, |
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with whom he developed close bonds of friendship; and |
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WHEREAS, His military valor during the War of 1812 brought |
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him to the attention of his commanding general, Andrew Jackson, who |
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subsequently helped to advance his career; Sam Houston remained in |
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the army until 1818, when he resigned and began the study of law; in |
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rapid succession, he was elected prosecuting attorney for the |
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District of Nashville, congressman, and, in 1827, governor of |
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Tennessee; two years later, however, while campaigning for |
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reelection, he separated from his wife; in deep distress, he |
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resigned his office and rejoined the Cherokee; and |
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WHEREAS, By 1833, Sam Houston had moved to Texas, which he saw |
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as a field of vast opportunity; quickly immersing himself in |
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politics, he favored breaking away from Mexico and served as a |
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delegate to several conventions, including the one that proclaimed |
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Texas independence on March 2, 1836; two days later, he was |
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commissioned major general of the Texas Army and put in charge of |
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the troops at Gonzales; and |
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WHEREAS, Commanding inexperienced soldiers and confronting a |
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much larger Mexican force, Sam Houston began a more than monthlong |
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withdrawal from Gonzales toward the northeast; though severely |
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criticized by many, his strategy was vindicated on April 21, 1836, |
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when he vanquished the troops under General Antonio Lopez de Santa |
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Anna at San Jacinto; and |
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WHEREAS, The following September, Sam Houston became the |
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first regularly elected president of the Republic of Texas; he |
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served until 1838 and again from 1841 to 1844, during which time he |
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supported annexation to the United States and worked to maintain |
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peace with both Mexico and the Indians; and |
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WHEREAS, Greatly admired by many fellow citizens, Sam Houston |
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then served as a U.S. senator from 1846 to 1859, when he was elected |
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governor; a staunch Unionist, he opposed the extension of slavery |
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and argued strenuously against secession; when, in 1861, Texas |
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followed a number of other southern states out of the union, he |
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refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was |
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deposed from office; in the fall of 1862, he moved with his wife, |
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Eliza, and their children to Huntsville, where he died on July 26, |
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1863; and |
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WHEREAS, A man of exceptional ability, ambition, and force of |
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character, Sam Houston shaped the history of this state and |
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captured the imagination of its people as few other individuals |
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have ever done, and it is indeed fitting that his life be honored on |
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this celebrated date; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 216th anniversary of the birth |
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of Sam Houston. |