Star of the Republic Museum Notes, Volume 44, Number 1, 2019 Page: INSIDE FRONT COVER
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The Historical Museum of the Texas Republic
- Continuedfrom page 1 -
Houston had been unable to deliver a
highly touted annexation agreement with
the U.S.
It immediately became clear the election
was going to be between the Pro-
Houston and Anti-Houston parties.
Lamar, of course, represented the latter.
The Pro-Houston party, led by Francis
R. Lubbock, met in May of 1838 to
discuss names they wanted to put on
the presidential ticket. As predicted,
the majority of the Pro-Houston men
advocated for Rusk to be their candidate.
Rusk refused for a number of reasons,
one being that he would have turned
35 after the election, which was against
the constitution, but the main reasonEstablished in 1883, the Blinn College District offers a variety
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attend one of our five campuses or our comprehensive
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The premier two-year college in Texas, Blinn's transfer rate
consistently ranks among the top 10in the nation.being he was not in a financial position
to launch a campaign or serve if elected.
He also stated he had given his word to
Lamar that he would not run. This left
the Pro-Houston contingent scrambling
for another candidate and they settled on
Peter Grayson, the attorney general.
Lamar immediately went on the
offensive and attacked Grayson's lack of
military service during the Revolution
and accused Grayson of being involved
in shady land deals. Lamar's campaign
indirectly attributed the misdeeds
of Grayson's Kentucky cousin of the
same name to the candidate himself.
Unbeknownst to many, Grayson suffered
from depression and the character
attacks evidently were too much. On July
9, 1838, he stopped by Bean's Station in
eastern Tennessee with a note, then took
his own life.
The election was only a few months away
by the time the news reached Texas. The
pro-Houston party hastily nominated
James Collinsworth, the chief justice of
the Texas Supreme Court. However, they
neglected to verify his eligibility because,
had he been elected, he would have been
too young to serve at the age of 32. This
did not become an issue, however, as
tragedy struck once again. Collinsworth
drowned in Galveston Bay shortly after
his nomination.'The most commonly
recognized motive for his death was
suicide, and that he jumped from a
steamboat into the bay. Rumors flew that
Collinsworth was an alcoholic and had
been drinking heavily the week of his
death. Others argued he was murdered,
but there was no proof of that claim.
With the death of their last two
candidates, the Pro-Houston party was
floundering. They quickly put Robert
Wilson's name on the presidential ballot.
He was a well-known businessman and
had represented Liberty and Harris
counties in the First and Second Senate.
However, there was not enough time toget their candidate's name in front of the
voters and Lamar easily won with 6,995
votes to 252. David Burnet, the former
ad interim President of the Republic of
Texas, barely won the vice presidency.
Lamar interpreted his victory as a sign of
the rejection of Houston's policies, though
his win was more about not having an
effective opponent and less about his
Anti-Houston stance.
Lamar, and every president thereafter
would serve three years, according to
the constitution. His three years were
not smooth, by any means. Arguably
the most significant piece of legislation
advocated by Lamar was land for primary
schools and colleges or universities.'This
public education system, which eventually
included Texas A&M University, the
University of Texas, and Texas Tech
University, was slow to be implemented
but is an important legacy of Lamar.
This success was overshadowed by his
administration's challenges.
His term in office saw expenditures
exceed receipts by over $3 million and
the printing of paper money known as
"red backs," which depreciated to 12 to 15
cents on the dollar. Lamar's administration
saw the bloodiest Indian Wars in Texas
history, which cost over $2.5 million, not
to mention the countless lives lost on
both sides. Lamar also advocated for the
removal of the capital from Houston to
a more northwest location, a site called
Waterloo, soon to be known as Austin.
This was a slap in the face to the Pro-
Houston folks, which caused more tension
between the two factions.
This tension rose to the surface during
the 1841 election between Sam Houston
and David Burnet. It once again was a
campaign of opposites, with Houston
leading the charge. This election was
marred by vicious accusations, scandal,
and gossip.NOTES - Published Quarterly by the Star of the Republic Museum
www.starmuseum.org
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Star of the Republic Museum (Washington, Tex.). Star of the Republic Museum Notes, Volume 44, Number 1, 2019, periodical, 2019; Washington, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1364537/m1/2/: accessed May 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.