George S. Houston Explained

George Smith Houston
Jr/Sr1:United States Senator
State1:Alabama
Term Start1:March 4, 1879
Term End1:December 31, 1879
Preceded1:George E. Spencer
Succeeded1:Luke Pryor
Order2:24th
Office2:Governor of Alabama
Term Start2:November 24, 1874
Term End2:November 28, 1878
Lieutenant2:Robert F. Ligon
Vacant
Predecessor2:David P. Lewis
Successor2:Rufus W. Cobb
Order3:Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus
1Blankname3:Speaker
1Namedata3:Samuel J. Randall
Term Start3:March 4, 1859
Term End3:January 21, 1861
Predecessor3:George W. Jones (1857)
Successor3:William E. Niblack/
Samuel J. Randall (1869)
State4:Alabama
District4:5th
Term Start4:March 4, 1843
Term End4:March 3, 1849
Predecessor4:James Dellet
Successor4:David Hubbard
Term Start5:March 4, 1851
Term End5:January 21, 1861
Predecessor5:David Hubbard
Successor5:John Benton Callis
State6:Alabama
District6:at-large
Term Start6:March 4, 1841
Term End6:March 3, 1843
Predecessor6:District inactive
Successor6:District inactive
Birth Date:17 January 1811
Birth Place:Franklin, Tennessee
Death Place:Athens, Alabama
Party:Democratic
Parents:David Ross Houston
Hannah Pugh Reagan
Signature:Signature of George Smith Houston (1811–1879).png

George Smith Houston (January 17, 1811 – December 31, 1879) was an American Democratic politician who was the 24th Governor of Alabama from 1874 to 1878. He was also a congressman and senator for Alabama.

Early life

Houston was born near Franklin, Tennessee, on January 17, 1811, to David Ross Houston and Hannah Pugh Reagan. The paternal grandson of Scots-Irish immigrants, Houston and his family moved near Florence, Alabama, at age 16. There, Houston worked on the family farm and read law at Judge George Coalter's office. He eventually studied law at a school in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.[1]

Early career

After graduating law school, Houston returned to Florence and was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1831 as a Jacksonian Democrat, representing Lauderdale County. In 1834, Governor John Gayle appointed Houston to be district solicitor,[2] but he was defeated in the subsequent election to that office. He then moved to Limestone County and continued to practice law. In 1837, Houston was elected in his own right to be a solicitor and held that office until 1841.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1840, Houston was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. During his tenure, he chaired the House Military Affairs Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the House Judiciary Committee.

As a Southern Unionist, Houston was one of only four southern Democrats not to sign Senator John C. Calhoun's "Address of the Southern Delegates in Congress to their Constituents" in 1849, which questioned the federal government's right to limit slavery in territories won in the Mexican–American War. Opposition to the congressman grew, and he didn't seek re-election in 1848.

Houston ran for Congress again in 1850 and won. In December 1860, Houston was chosen to represent Alabama in the so-called "Committee of Thirty-Three". The Committee adopted the Corwin Amendment, which would have amended the United States Constitution so that Congress could never abolish slavery.

Civil War and Reconstruction

Following the American Civil War outbreak, Houston resigned from his office and returned home. Two of his sons fought for the Confederate States of America, but Houston himself stayed out of the war. In 1862, Houston's property was ransacked by U.S. Army General Ivan Turchin.[1]

Houston presented his credentials as a senator-elect from Alabama during Reconstruction, but the Republican Party refused to seat him.[3] Houston attended President Andrew Johnson's 1866 National Union Convention to oppose the Radical Republicans.Houston attempted to become a U.S. Senator again in 1867 but was defeated by former Governor John A. Winston. Like in the Civil War, Houston would play no part in Reconstruction in Alabama.

Governor of Alabama

In 1874, Houston ran a successful campaign for governor, garnering 53% of the vote and ousting incumbent David P. Lewis. Houston's election was the start of a long line of Democratic governors of the state, not being broken until 1986. Houston ran on a platform of "redeeming" the state and promising honesty and economy instead of Republican profligacy. The Democrats also intimidated many Republican voters, especially blacks.Houston served as a Bourbon Democrat, advocating conservatism, limited government, and white supremacy. As governor, the state legislature approved the creation of one of the nation's first public health boards. Though it was created in 1875, no monies were appropriated until 1879.With a shrinking population, Governor Houston advocated for immigration into Alabama, with limited success. In a widely condemned move, Houston expanded the state's contract lease system, in which mostly black prisoners would be leased to private contractors.[1]

Governor Houston also attempted to reform the state's educational system. However, his efforts were unsuccessful due to his administration's inherited debt from railroad bonds. Houston created a three-person commission, headed by himself, to study the debt issue and to recommend a program to retire it. Tirstam B. Bethea of Mobile and Levi W. Lawler of Talladega served as the other two commissioners. Lawler and Houston had a history of working as railroad directors, creating a conflict of interest. The commission eventually set the legitimate debt at $12.5 million. The Republican-controlled Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad bondholders were the most adversely affected.

Houston advocated a constitutional convention to replace the constitution adopted in 1868. Voters approved the new constitution in 1875. The constitution declared that the state could never again secede from the United States and banned educational and property qualifications for voting or holding office. Also, the constitution eliminated the position of lieutenant governor.

Personal life

In May 1835, Houston married Mary I. Beatty and had eight children, four of whom died in childhood. His wife died before 1860, and Houston remarried in 1861 to Ellen Irvine, who bore him two additional children. By 1860, Houston was a successful cotton planter, enslaving 78 people.[1]

Death

Houston was finally elected to the United States Senate in 1878 but died at his home in Athens on December 31, 1879.[4] He was buried in Athens City Cemetery.

See also

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: George S. Houston (1874-78). Encyclopedia of Alabama. April 19, 2019.
  2. Web site: Alabama Governors: George Smith Houston . Alabama Department of Archives and History . April 19, 2019.
  3. Web site: HOUSTON, George Smith – Biographical Inforomation. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. April 19, 2019.
  4. News: The Last Sleep: Sudden Death of United States Senator George S. Houston . . Nashville, Tennessee . 1 . 1879-12-31 . 2022-04-25 . Newspapers.com.