Albert Clinton Horton (September 4, 1798 – September 1, 1865) was an American politician who served as the first

lieutenant governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

from 1846 to 1847 under Governor J. Pinckney Henderson.

Early life

Horton was born on September 4, 1798, in

Hancock County, Georgia Hancock County is a county located in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a ...

, to William and Mary Thomas Horton. William Horton died when Albert was young. His mother married Colonel Samuel Dent; they moved to

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

in 1823. In 1829 Albert married Eliza Holliday. He was a representative in the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 1829 to 1830, and 1833 to 1834. He represented Greensboro district.. Retrieved on January 14, 2013.

Life in Texas

Albert Horton moved to Texas in April 1835. He was a supporter of the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

. In 1835 he went back to Alabama to recruit volunteers for the Texas army. Horton served as colonel of a cavalry unit during the revolution. In early March 1836, his company joined

James Fannin James Walker Fannin Jr. (January 1, 1804– March 27, 1836) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Texian Army during the Texas Revolution. After being outnumbered and surrendering to the Mexican Army at the Battle o ...

's command in south Texas. He was sent by Fannin to gather carts and oxen at

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a city and the county seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria, Texas metropolitan area, Victoria Metropolitan Statis ...

. Horton's scouts located Col. Juan Morales nearing Goliad with the Jiménez and San Luis battalions on March 17. The next day Horton was busy skirmishing with General

José de Urrea José Cosme de Urrea y Elías González (full name) or simply José de Urrea (March 19, 1797 – August 1, 1849) was a Mexican general. He fought under General Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. Urrea's forces were never d ...

's advance forces. On March 19, he was sent to examine the crossing of Coleto Creek. Upon hearing artillery fire, he returned to find that Fannin and his troops had been surrounded and possibly overrun, Horton and his men after assessing the situation turned and retreated towards Victoria, where reinforcements were expected to be located, an action that would shadow his political career. He served in the

until May 1, 1836. After the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

was founded in 1836, Horton was elected to the Congress of the Republic of Texas. He was a Senator in the First and Second congresses of the Republic of Texas from 1836–38. He represented Matagorda, Jackson, and Victoria counties. He wasn't successful in his bid for the vice presidency of the Republic of Texas in 1838. He was appointed by the Republic of Texas Congress to select a location for the capital of Texas in January 1839. He was as a delegate to the Convention of 1845. In 1842, Horton would again serve as a military officer when he was recruited to serve as a captain against the invasion of Ráfael Vásquez on March 7.

Lieutenant Governorship and later life

After Texas became a U.S. state in December 1845, Horton became its first

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. He was declared the first

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

on May 1, 1846. He took office the next day. Texas governor

James Pinckney Henderson James Pinckney Henderson (March 31, 1808 – June 4, 1858) was an American and Texan lawyer, politician, and soldier who served as the first governor of Texas from 1846 to 1847. Early years He was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina, on March 31 ...

was absent from his duties to command Texas troops during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. Horton served as ''acting governor'' from May 19, 1846, to November 13, 1846. After he left the lieutenant governor's office, he retired to private life. He attended the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, in 1860 and the state Secession Congress in 1861. Before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he owned over 150 slaves, and was considered one of the richest men in the state of Texas, but after the Civil War he lost most of his fortune. He was an original member of the board of trustees that founded

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

. He died on September 1, 1865, in Matagorda, and was buried in Matagorda Cemetery located on South Gulf Road.

References

External links

Henderson to A.C. Horton, May 19, 1846
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Albert Clinton Lieutenant governors of Texas Republic of Texas senators 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas 1798 births 1865 deaths People from Hancock County, Georgia Baptists from Alabama Texas Democrats Alabama Democrats 19th-century members of the Alabama Legislature Baptists from Georgia (U.S. state) Baptists from Texas 19th-century Baptists Protestants from Texas