Born near Lexington, Virginia, Sam Houston moved with his family to Tennessee in 1807. When his father died, Houston ran away to live with the Cherokee Indians. He served in the U.S. Army and then as a U.S. congressman from 1823 to 1827, when he was elected governor of Tennessee. Two years later, Houston again went to live with the Cherokee and became a full member of their tribe. In 1832 he traveled to Texas where he became involved in the fight for independence. He led the Texas army at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. From 1836 to 1838 and again from 1841 to 1844, Houston served as President of the Republic of Texas. When Texas became a state in 1845, Houston moved to the U.S. Senate, where he remained from 1846 to 1859. He became governor of Texas in 1859 and tried to prevent the state’s secession from the Union. In 1861 Texas seceded, and Houston was thrown out of office. He refused to become a member of the Confederacy and retired.
