Sam Houston; Pioneer, Patriot, Statesman, President – Part I

Everyone knows that Sam Houston is kind of a big deal in Texas. But what most don’t know is that his life was so much more than just his being “the hero of San Jacinto” and the namesake of Texas’ largest city.

Born in Rockbridge County, Virginia on March 2, 1793, Houston was one of nine children born to Samuel & Elizabeth Paxton Houston. Young Sam didn’t really interact much with his siblings and wasn’t particularly close to his parents, but he did take a keen interest in his father’s library, and read many classic works of literature during his childhood and adolescence.                                                                                                                      

The elder Houston died when Sam was only 13 years old, after which his mother moved he and his five brothers and three sisters to Maryville, Tennessee. Sam grew restless and ran away from home at the age of 16, and went to live with and was adopted by the clan of Cherokee in east Tennessee led by Chief Oolooteka and named Colonneh (“The Raven”). During his three years living with the Cherokee, Houston learned to speak the Cherokee language and adopted many of their customs.

With the outbreak of the War of 1812, Sam joined the army and served under Andrew Jackson. General Jackson befriended Sam and became like a father-figure to him. In 1814 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Houston received three near-fatal wounds. His recovery was slow but complete save for a shattered musket ball that he carried in his shoulder for the rest of his life. 

In 1818, Houston resigned from the army in order to pursue a law career. He studied law under Judge James Trimble of Nashville and passed the bar exam after only six months of study. 

He then moved to neighboring Wilson County and established his law practice in a small, one room log cabin near the town square in Lebanon, Tennessee. 

A wealthy local named Mr. Frederick Golloday befriended Sam and “furnished him with a splendid wardrobe” and according to local lore “rented him the cabin for one dollar per month and loaned him the dollar”.  

Houston was well liked and quickly made many valuable contacts that helped mold his legal and political future. With the aid of Governor Joseph McMinn he was elected as district attorney of Nashville in 1819. Andrew Jackson appointed him a Major General and later Adjutant General of the Tennessee State Militia. With the aid of McMinn and Jackson, Houston ran unopposed and won a seat in the 9th Congressional District which was one of three new seats created after the 1820 census. 

In our next installment we will explore the meteoric rise of Sam Houston’s political career. Please be sure to look for Sam Houston; Pioneer, Patriot, Statesman, President – Part II coming soon!    

Blaine K. Price, Historian – Family Tree Nuts