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Ashbel Smith (1805-1886)Born August 13, 1805 in Hartford, Connecticut, Ashbel Smith graduated from Yale in 1824 and became a doctor in 1828. After further medical study in Europe, he decided to go to the newly formed Republic of Texas…
History · People
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna – The Leading Villain of Texas HistoryAntonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the leading villain of Texas history, was born in Mexico on 21 February 1794. As a young military officer, he supported Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, and at one time courted the…
History · People
Thomas J. Rusk (1803-1857)Thomas Jefferson Rusk was lured to Texas from Georgia in 1832. He was chasing business partners who had absconded with his money and fled westward. When he arrived in Nacogdoches, he decided to stay.
History · People
Lawrence Sullivan “Sul” Ross (1838-1898)Born in Iowa on 27 September 1838, Sul Ross moved with his family to Texas the following year. He attended Baylor University in 1856, then graduated from Wesleyan University at Florence, Alabama in 1859.
History · People
Sterling C. Robertson (1785-1842)An early Texas empresario, soldier and statesman, Sterling Clack Robertson was born on October 2, 1785, in what is now Nashville, Tennessee. There, he spent his youth. After serving in the Tennessee Militia in…
History · People
Oran Milo Roberts “Old Alcade” (1815-1898)O. M. Roberts strongly influenced Texas history as president of the Secession Convention of 1861, as Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court, and as Governor. He also helped preserve Texas history as the first…
History · People
William S. Porter “O. Henry” – Master of Short StoriesBorn William Sidney Porter, this master of short stories is much better known under his pen name “O. Henry.” He was born September 11, 1862 in North Carolina, where he spent his childhood. His only formal…
History · People
James K. Polk (1795-1849)James K. Polk never set foot in Texas. His impact on Texas and the American West, however, cannot be overestimated. Not only was he instrumental in the annexation of Texas, but the United States achieved its…
History · People
Elisabet Ney (1833-1907)A pioneer in the development of art in Texas, Elisabet Ney was born in Munster, Westphalia, Germany on January 26, 1833. She became the first woman sculpture student accepted in the Munich Art Academy. Her…
History · People
Jose Antonio Navarro (1795-1871)Jose Antonio Navarro was among the truest of all Texans. He was born February 27, 1795 in San Antonio of a prominent Spanish heritage. He would become a leading Mexican participant on the side of Texas in the…
History · People
Benjamin Rush “Ben” Milam (1788-1835)Ben Milam was killed when the Texas Revolution was just getting underway. But his leadership prior to his death helped inspire his fellow Texans to retake San Antonio in 1835 at the Siege of Baxer, and…
History · People
Ben McCulloch (1811-1862)One of Texas’ most noted heroes, Ben McCulloch was born in Tennessee and died in Arkansas. He spent most of his life in service to Texas, however, and is buried in the Texas State cemetery in Austin.