oooh and I betcha this was his happy face!

Sam(uel) Houston, governor of two states, president of the Republic of Texas, U.S. senator, and military hero, was one of the most colorful figures of 19th-century America. Born near Lexington, Va., on Mar. 2, 1793, he was reared in Tennessee by his widowed mother. As a youth he spent much time with Cherokee Indians and developed close ties with them. Joining the army, he served under Andrew Jackson in the Creek wars (1813-14). In 1818, Houston resigned his commission and, after studying law for a few months, was elected attorney general for Nashville and appointed adjutant general of Tennessee. He served two terms in Congress (1823-27) and in 1827 was elected governor of Tennessee.

While governor, Houston married Eliza Allen on Jan. 1, 1829. For unexplained reasons, however, the marriage was dissolved almost immediately, and Houston, under pressure from the influential Allen family, resigned his office. For the next 6 years he lived with Cherokee Indians in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), taking a Cherokee wife, Tiana Rogers, and adopting Cherokee citizenship. He was a trader, advisor, and special envoy for the tribe on several occasions. It was in this last capacity that he first went to Texas, then under Mexican rule, in 1832 in a futile attempt to secure a land grant for the tribe. By 1835, Houston had moved to Texas. With the outbreak of the Texas Revolution in that year he was named commanding general of the revolutionary army. In March 1836, Houston was a delegate to the convention that declared Texas an independent republic. His command was reconfirmed, and he led the Texas army to a brilliant victory over Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto (Apr. 21, 1836).

"It is a matter of great satisfaction to me to hope that my children will be in circumstances to receive a good education. Mine was defective and I feel the inconvenience, if not the misfortune of not receiving a classical education. Knowledge is the food of genius, and my son, let no opportunity escape you to treasure up knowledge."

"In the name of the constitution of Texas, which has been trampled upon, I refuse to take this oath. I love Texas too well to bring civil strife and bloodshed upon her."

“Texas, to be respected must be polite. Santa Anna living, can be of incalculable benefit to Texas; Santa Anna dead, would just be another dead Mexican.”

“I preferred measuring deer tracks, to tape-that I liked the wild liberty of the Red men better than the tyranny of my brothers.”

Subtract most of the time on the clock on this revision because I was bouncing back and forth here looking at other art (which pleased me much more than doing this)... I had intended to stay in here and work myself to death on this and get nowhere.... and when I asked myself if I really wanted to do that... the answer was "Aw, HEY'ALL naw."