Sam Houston and His Republic

Let's start with the facts. This was the first biography of Sam Houston. It was published in 1846, just months after Texas entered the union and Houston took his seat in the United States Senate. It instantly became the go-to source for facts on his life and has provided much source material for nearly every Sam Houston biography since written. It's fair to say that a good deal of what the average Texan knows about Sam Houston originated within these pages.

In 1846 there was speculation far and wide that Old Sam would run for President of the United States. The story goes that Dr. Ashbel Smith, who was pushing Houston to run, convinced him to hire a biographer in order to get his life story before the public, making this the father of a genre: the presidential candidate book.

Sam Houston and His Republic was controversial from the day it rolled off the presses in 1846. Former Vice President David G. Burnet was a Tasmanian devil of indignation. Former President Lamar couldn't even get past the title, saying, "Houston and his Republic. HIS republic! That is true; for I can regard Texas as little more than the Big Drunk's big ranch!"

So this is not only a biography, it is something of a historical artifact. There is much between the lines.

In case you are wondering why Old Glory garnishes the cover instead of the Lone Star banner, it's to make the point that Sam Houston wish for his republic was always that it should become a state