Andrew Jackson Houston (June 21, 1854June 26, 1941) was an American politician who served briefly as a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

in 1941, appointed to temporarily fill the vacancy left by the death of longtime Senator Morris Sheppard. He was a son of statesman

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

and his wife Margaret Lea Houston, and was named for his father's mentor

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

Early life

Andrew J. Houston was born in Independence, Texas, on June 21, 1854. He was educated at several military academies and colleges, including

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 ...

and

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

—a member of the Class of 1875, he dropped out before graduating. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1876.

Career

Houston had a varied career, including serving as clerk of the federal court in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Texas National Guard and

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

for the eastern district of Texas. Houston ran unsuccessfully for

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

in 1892 as a lily-white Republican candidate. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

Houston raised and organized a cavalry troop which was mustered into service as part of the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

. In 1910 and 1912 he was a

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a Political parties in the United States, political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movemen ...

candidate for Governor. A longtime resident of La Porte, in 1918 he retired to study and write history. From 1924 until his Senate appointment he held a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

as Superintendent of the state park at the San Jacinto battleground, where his father had won the battle which led to the independence of Texas from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

United States senator

Houston's semi-retirement ended in 1941, when Morris Sheppard died while representing Texas in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel desired to serve in the Senate, but knew it would be politically unpopular to name himself as the interim appointee pending a special election for the remainder of Sheppard's term. Certain that the 86-year-old Houston would not run in the special election, O'Daniel appointed him to temporarily fill the vacancy. At the time of his swearing in, 82 years after his father had served in the same seat, Houston was the oldest man to enter the Senate. (The oldest person overall was Rebecca Latimer Felton). Houston joined the Senate as a Democrat, and filled the seat from April 21, 1941, until his death. The early June trip from Texas to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to begin his duties had a negative effect on Houston's health, and he attended only one committee meeting as a senator, afterwards spending most of his time hospitalized.

Death and burial

Houston died in a

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, hospital on June 26, 1941, five days after his 87th birthday. Briefly interred at Abbey Mausoleum in

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

, he was later disinterred and reburied in the

Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas, Austin, the Capital (political), capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revo ...

Legacy

In the special election held a few days after Houston's death, O'Daniel defeated

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

and several other candidates, and won the seat. Houston is one of 4 Senators (the others being William Johnson, Edmund Pettus and

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

) to be the oldest living U.S. senator while serving and he is the only Senator subsequent to the second U.S. Congress to become the oldest living Senator upon entering office.

Family

Houston was married twice; his first wife was Carrie Glenn Purnell of

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, who died in 1884. His second wife, Elizabeth Hart Goode of

died in 1907. Houston was the father of three daughters, Ariadne, Marguerite, and Josephine; Ariadne and Marguerite largely devoted their adult lives to caring for their father. Both Ariadne and Marguerite traveled with him to Washington after his Senate appointment, and they were with him when he died.

Houston family tree

References

External links

*
Texas State Cemetery Honored Texans Biography

''Military Maps of the Texas Revolution''
by Andrew Jackson Houston, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History''Andrew Jackson Houston, Late a Senator from Texas''
1944, U.S. Government Printing Office {{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Andrew Jackson People from Independence, Texas Baylor University alumni Law enforcement officials from Texas United States Military Academy alumni United States Marshals Burials at Texas State Cemetery 1854 births 1941 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from Texas Texas Republicans Texas lawyers American male non-fiction writers Historians from Texas American militia officers Sam Houston Texas Prohibitionists Children of presidents 20th-century United States senators