Sam Houston was born in a log house just east of here on 2 March 1793. His family moved to Tennessee in 1807. After serving in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, Houston studied law, was twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and became governor of Tennessee in 1827. For several years he lived with Cherokee Indians in present-day Oklahoma. He moved to Texas in 1832, led the fight for independence from Mexico, and served for two terms as president of the Republic of Texas. He represented Texas in the U.S. Senate from 1846 to 1859. A slave-owning Unionist, he was removed as governor of Texas in 1861 after refusing to swear allegiance to the Confederacy. Houston died in 1863.