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The Presidents of the Republic of Texas

Although most school children are exposed to the Presidents of the United States, few are told about the Presidents of Texas. The Republic of Texas had several presidents. Texana buffs often argue over which ones were legitimate Presidents or not. Texas was its own nation complete with Presidents, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. It had its own army its own navy and embassies located in foreign nations. The Presidents of Texas faced many difficult decisions which shaped Texas both then and now.

The First Republic of Texas and its President

A case can be made that the first President of Texas was José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara, He had been given authority as part of the Guitierrez-Magee expedition to make political decisions. One of these decisions, made in 1812, was the submitting a Declaration of Independence for the Republic of Texas and proclaiming himself the President. This was known as the first Republic of Texas, which occurred in 1812, when Texas declared itself independent of Spain. The expedition was later defeated by Spanish troops in the Battle of Medina, which was the largest battle ever fought in Texas. In later years, after Mexico declared its independence, he served as Governor of Tamaulipas and ordered Mexican Emperor Iturbide sent to the firing squad.

The (Third) Republic of Texas

The next President of the Republic of Texas (sometimes called the third Republic), was David Burnett. He was appointed to the office by elected representatives of the people. He provided Texas with leadership during its war of secession from Mexico, known also as the War of Texas Independence. At the conclusion of the war, he remained in office until there was a legitimate election. He did so in order to prevent the new Republic from turning into a military dictatorship, like they just left with Mexico. In his early life, Burnett’s parents had died, so he was raised by his brother.

The third person serving in office was the first President elected by the people of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston had the distinction of serving as the first elected chief executive. He faced the challenge of establishing international relations, obtaining credit for the new Republic and maintaining order in the aftermath of a war. His new government had to develop a monetary system, military, laws and a legal court system in order to bring order to the frontier and settle the Republic. During his first term, Houston continued to drink heavily, which may have influenced some of his choices. He named the newly settled city of Houston, which was named after him as the capital of the Republic., One of the decisions he made that could have had ramifications was to dismiss the territorial claim the Texas navy made on the island of Cozumel.

The second elected President was Maribeau Lamar. During the course of the election, each of his two opponents committed suicide which left him the only candidate in office. Lamar moved the capital to the town of Waterloo. The name of the town was soon changed to Austin, in honor of Stephen F. Austin. Lamar improved the Texas Navy, making it the best in the Gulf of Mexico. His administration was faced with unrest from the Indian tribes, and raids from Mexico. He made significant improvements in education and the prestige of the new Republic. Lamar had a vision for Texas, which he pursued. Under his leadership, the Republic was recognized by several European nations. Lamar resigned from office before his term ended, which gave David Burnett the office of President once again for a short period of time.

The nest President was Sam Houston again. The Constitution of Texas forbid a President from serving in office for sequential terms. His second Presidency was filled with raids and trials. He was tested in many areas. He attempted obtaining the annexation of Texas by treaty, but failed in the efforts. His old nemesis, Santa Anna was again agitating relations by ordering military raids from Mexico into Texas. Some of these raids included kidnapping government officials and taking them to Mexico. President Houston also fought with the Congress. At one point the Congress made a claim on the Southwest, including California. Houston quickly vetoed the matter, claiming it would only incite the neighbors.

The Fourth elected President was Anson Jones. Jones was elected on the platform of “Peace with the world and Independence”. He defeated Edward Burleson for the office. Burleson favored annexation, whereas Jones did not. It was during President Jones administration that the Texas economy finally settled down, since it’s currency was backed by gold. Texas was gaining greater international recognition. England and France were helping Texas to obtain a lasting peace with Mexico. Those nations believed that a free Texas would limit the spread of the United States and the slavery that it brought with it. The United States saw the assistance of England and France as a violation of the Monroe Doctrine. Jones was faced with the challenge of international intrigue as the United States, England, France and Mexico each vying for influence with a different view of Texas. When the offer of annexation arrived, United States agents worked behind the scenes bribing and influencing the Congressional representatives to vote in support of their offer. Jones found himself walking a political tightrope. When the Congress approved the offer of annexation, United States troops known as the “Army of Occupation” moved into Texas months before the people voted on whether or not they wanted annexation. The Congress took steps to reduce his power and influence, Jones was furious at the violation of sovereignty. When the election came, the people voted in support of the offer and his final days in office were spent transitioning toward Statehood.

Jones’ rise to office was a significant accomplishment since he taught himself to read. He later became a doctor. Eight In eight years he went from penniless to President of the Republic.

Texas Presidential Wisdom

“Texas will again lift it’s head and stand among the nations. It ought to do so, for no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages.”

“The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government”

“Texas will again lift it’s head and stand among the nations. it ought to do so, for no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages”

“All new states are invested, more or less, by a class of noisy, second-rate men who are always in favor of rash and extreme measures, But Texas was absolutely overrun by such men.”

“Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may.”

Quotes by Sam Houston

“A cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy, and while guided and controlled by virtue, the noblest attribute of man. It is the only dictator that free men acknowledge, and the only security which freemen desire”-Mirabeau Lamar

Jeff Murrah, is an award winning Texas history author and homeschooling father. His Texas history is available for homeschoolers and other students of Texas history at http://www.TexansAlwaysMoveThem.com

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Texas is one of the largest states in America. It is ranked the second largest in both area and population in the country. Texans are very proud of their space within the southern U.S. and it has many cities with very fascinating and proud histories. Anyone interested in learning different facts about the Lone Star State would discover a wide range of information that could keep them entertained for days. However, what most people are not aware of is that they can actually learn quite a bit of information by simply researching area codes.

Believe it or not, but a Texas area code can tell you a variety of things including:

- The time zone of the state. In this case it is UTC-6, making it part of both central standard time and mountain daylight time.

- The different counties covered within a certain region (I.E. areacode 214 covers a total of 6 counties – Collin, Denton, Dallas, Tarrnat, Ellis and Bexar).

- All of the telecommunication data it covers (I.E. 325-area-code has 200 landlines, services 42 carriers and has 94 wireless exchanges.)

- Names of the telephone providers within its regions and the prefixs/exchange numbers related to these carriers.

Aside form that, since you are provided with the names of the cities and counties linked to the codes, you then have the opportunity to research each individual place to learn more about it. You might not think this very significant, but if you ever receive a phone call from someone whose number you don’t recognize, you may find it helpful or enjoy learning a thing or two about the location the individual is likely calling from.

Altogether there are 24 Texan area codes that you can investigate. However, this is not the only American state you can discover plenty about by simply researching its related numbering plans. If you wanted to, you could even learn about other places by randomly looking up codes to see what you’ll find. For example, if you were to search area code 609 you would become educated in a variety of interesting data regarding New Jersey.

About this Author

Jeremiah Johnson is a freelance writer specializing in writing about the Telecommunications industry. You can check out his latest project at http://areacodefacts.com/

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Interstate 40 runs all the way from the East Cost to the West Cost, taking in many different little towns along the way. About half-way through the journey you will come across a town in the Texas Panhandle called Amarillo. This is the home for many attractions that are known around the world and for one famous song, “Is This the Way To Amarillo.” Let’s take a minute and look at what you will find as you pass through this town.

The most notable attraction is probably the Cadillac Ranch, located just west of town. If you have not heard of the Cadillac Ranch, it’s where ten Cadillac’s are buried nose down in the ground. The ranch was the brain child of local millionaire Stanley Marsh 3. In 1974 Marsh decided to burry those cars right in the middle of a wheat field. So he did and the attraction soon began to world-wide attention. If you stop by the Cadillac Ranch be sure to bring you spray paint. Marsh wants the project to be seen as an art project and visitors are encouraged to paint whatever they choose on the historic cars. Another world-know attraction is the Big Texan State House.

Do you know anywhere else in the world that serves a 72-ounce steak and if eaten in one hour is free? Well, you will find such a place in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. As you come into Amarillo from the east, look to your right and you will see the Big Texan. If you are hungry, this is the place for you. You can walk in and say, “I would like the 72-ouncer please.” If you eat that huge steak, along with all the trimmings in a hour, it’s free. Believe it or not, a good number of people have taken the bet and won. In fact, over 7,000 people have successful eaten the 72-onucer! The restaurant has been featured on shows and news articles across the globe.

The town’s downtown in the next up-and-coming attraction. Efforts are underway to revitalize the heart of this city. Downtown is already a happening spot for nightlife with the locals. Historic Polk Street has become the home of many of the town’s bars and restaurants, with that number expected to grow. More and more people are choosing to head downtown come Friday and Saturday nights to experience the real A-Town. What really put the town on the global map was the hit song, “Is This the Way To Amarillo?”

This song was originally written by Tony Christie back in the early 1970′s. It made its was to the top twenty songs on the U.K. music charts. The song was released again in 2005 and became number one song on all of the European music charts. This really let everyone in the world know where Amarillo was. Tourist from all over Europe starting finding their way to to the town, and their first two stops were the Cadillac Ranch and of course the Big Texan.

If you find yourself traveling down Interstate 40, you will pass through many different towns. If you find yourself in the heart of the Texas Panhandle, Amarillo [http://ryousoamarillo.com], you might take some time and see what this historic town has to offer.

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