Portrait of Samuel Houston

Samuel Houston (1793-1863) was a soldier and a statesman of Texas. Born in Virginia and raised in Tennessee, in 1827 he moved West and married Tiana Rogers, a Native American, had eight children and was adopted by the Cherokees. Subsequently, Houston was an agent for the Cherokee Indians and with their aid, he won the battle of San Jacinto giving Texas its independance from Mexico. In 1836, Samuel Houston was elected President of Texas and secured the recognition of the New Republic by the United States.