Branch Tanner Archer (December 13, 1790 – September 22, 1856) was a Texan who served as Commissioner to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

House of Representatives and Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas.

Early life

Archer was born in

Fauquier County, Virginia Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 16 ...

on December 13, 1790 to Major Peter Field Archer and Frances Tanner. He attended the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

and received his medical degree in 1808 from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. Archer married Eloisa Clarke on January 20, 1813; their union produced six children. Archer practiced medicine and was elected to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

representing

Powhatan County Powhatan County () is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,033. Its county seat is Powhatan. Powhatan County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. The James River forms the cou ...

from 1819–1820. Archer was elected as a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

in the

1820 United States presidential election The 1820 United States presidential election was the ninth quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Wednesday, November 1, to Wednesday, December 6, 1820. Taking place at the height of the Era of Good Feelings, the election saw incumbe ...

, casting his vote for Virginia's native son, James Monroe (Democratic-Republican). On May 13, 1828, Archer killed his cousin, Dr. James Ottway Crump, in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

fought with pistols near Scottsville, Virginia, in Powhatan County.

In service to Texas

Archer arrived in Texas about 1831, residing in Brazoria County. Archer was an active

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and helped organize a Masonic Lodge in Brazoria. He was also an outspoken advocate of Texas' independence from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and was elected to represent Brazoria at the

Convention of 1833 The Convention of 1833 (April 1–13, 1833), a political gathering of settlers of Mexican Texas, was a successor to the Convention of 1832, whose requests had not been addressed by the Mexican government. Despite the political uncertainty succeedin ...

. In October 1835, Archer fought at the

Battle of Gonzales The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution. It was fought near Gonzales, Texas, on October 2, 1835, between rebellious Texian settlers and a detachment of Mexican army soldiers. In 1831, Mexican authoriti ...

which ended in a Mexican withdrawal. The next month he was elected Chairman of the Consultation of 1835, meeting in San Felipe de Austin which formed a provisional government for Texas. Although Archer was a hard-liner in favor of independence, he acceded to the will of the majority which voted to support a return to the

Mexican Constitution of 1824 The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 ( es, Constitución Federal de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos de 1824) was enacted on October 4 of 1824, after the overthrow of the Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide. In the new Fr ...

. The Consultation subsequently elected Archer, along with Stephen F. Austin and

William H. Wharton William Harris Wharton (April 27, 1802 – March 14, 1839) was an American colonist, diplomat, senator and statesman in early Texas. Early life and family Wharton was born in Virginia and was raised by an uncle following the deaths of his parent ...

to serve as Commissioners of Texas in the United States. Their purpose was to raise funds, recruit troops and gain support among Americans for the cause of Texas. The trio sailed from Galveston to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

in late December 1835 and moved up the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

over the next several weeks making speeches to crowds before moving east to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

While the Commissioners were in Washington, on March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. The United States refused to recognize the nascent republic at that point. Archer returned to Texas and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives representing Brazoria. He also supported the election of his former colleague Austin to be President of Texas. Austin died before the election was held and

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important 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 i ...

was elected president. In 1837, during the Second Session of the First Congress, Archer was elected Speaker of the Texas House. While in Congress, Archer joined

James Collinsworth James Thompson Collinsworth (1802 – July 11, 1838) was an American-born Texian lawyer and political figure in early history of the Republic of Texas. Early life Collinsworth was born in 1802 Davidson County, Tennessee. His father, Edward Collin ...

in sponsoring legislation to set up the Texas Railroad, Navigation, and Banking Company. Even though President Houston supported the establishment of the company, it later failed primarily due to its banking provisions and because of public opposition led by President

Anson Jones Anson Jones (January 20, 1798 – January 09, 1858) was a doctor, businessman, member of Congress, and the fourth and last President of the Republic of Texas. Early life Jones was born on January 20, 1798, in Great Barrington, Massachus ...

. In 1838–1839, Archer achieved the position of Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas. During the administration of President Mirabeau B. Lamar, Archer was chosen to serve as Secretary of War from February 1840 until December 13, 1841.

Final years

Archer remained politically active throughout his life. He died on September 22, 1856, at Brazoria and was buried at William H. Wharton's Eagle Island Plantation on Oyster Creek in Brazoria County. Archer City and

Archer County, Texas Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,560. Its county seat is Archer City. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. History In 1858, the Texas Legislat ...

, the brig ''Archer'' of the Second Texas Navy were all named in his honor.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Branch Tanner 19th-century American physicians People of Mexican Texas People of the Texas Revolution Republic of Texas politicians 1790 births 1856 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Diplomats of the Republic of Texas Members of the Texas House of Representatives Speakers of the Republic of Texas House of Representatives Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas American duellists College of William & Mary alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni People from Fauquier County, Virginia Texas Consultation delegates Burials in Texas 19th-century American politicians People from Brazoria County, Texas