Memucan Hunt (August 7, 1807 – June 5, 1856) was the first Minister of Texas to the United States, Secretary of the Texas Navy, and an unsuccessful candidate for Vice-President of the Republic of Texas.

Early life

Hunt was born on August 7, 1807, in

Granville County, North Carolina Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. The county has access to Kerr Lake and Falls Lake and is part of t ...

, the son of Col. William Hunt and the grandson of Memucan Hunt. He was a planter and businessman moving to

Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,145. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for Founding Father and U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is pa ...

in 1834 to manage a plantation given to him by his father. Thomas Jefferson Green arrived in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

to recruit volunteers to fight in the Texas Revolution. Hunt, along with neighbor James Pinckney Henderson and several hundred others, joined Green, arriving at Velasco in June 1836, after the

battle of San Jacinto The Battle of San Jacinto (), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General A ...

Service in Texas

Almost immediately upon arriving in Texas, Hunt began publicly expressing his views on current policies, writing to interim President David G. Burnet to disagree with his decision to return captured Mexican General Santa Anna to Mexico in exchange for his assurances to recognize Texas's Independence. As soon as Santa Anna was released the Mexican government abrogated the Treaty of Velasco. As a result, Hunt was appointed a brigadier general in the Texas Army in August 1836 by President Burnet with the task of deterring an expected invasion 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 ...

. The invasion never materialized and Hunt resigned his commission. The next year, President

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 ...

appointed Hunt as Texas's agent in the United States to assist the diplomat William H. Wharton in securing the United States' recognition of Texas. In March 1837, after successfully concluding that mission, Hunt became Texan Minister in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. His proposal for the annexation of Texas in 1837 was rejected by the United States, but he succeeded in negotiating a boundary convention in 1838. Under Texas's second President, Mirabeau B. Lamar, Hunt was Texas Secretary of the Navy from December 1838 to May 1839, when he became the Texas's representative on the joint United States-Texas boundary commission. In 1841, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President running as David G. Burnet's

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

against Sam Houston.

After statehood and final years

Hunt volunteered to serve in the Mexican War in 1846 on General J. Pinckney Henderson's staff. Hunt married Anne Taliaferro Howard of

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

on Feb. 14, 1850, in Galveston, Galveston Co., TX. After Texas's annexation by the United States, Hunt was elected for one term to the legislature, in 1852, and in 1853 he was appointed United States commissioner to adjust the southwestern boundary with

. He spent his last years trying to recoup his fortune, which he had sacrificed in the cause of Texas. The legislature granted him full compensation in land. To develop his holdings he promoted a railroad from

Galveston Bay Galveston Bay ( ) is a bay in the western Gulf of Mexico along the upper coast of Texas. It is the seventh-largest estuary in the United States, and the largest of seven major estuaries along the Texas Gulf Coast. It is connected to the Gulf of ...

to the Red River. While he was thus engaged, his health failed, and he died at his brother's home in

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a County (United States), county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covingt ...

, on June 5, 1856. Mrs. Hunt died in 1916 and is buried in the Montgomery New Cemetery located in Montgomery, Montgomery Co., TX. On 28 July 1859, in Galveston Co., TX, Anne married to Abner S. Lipscomb who died in 1873. On 18 June 1874, in Montgomery Co., TX, Anne married Abner Womack who died in 1875. On 20 Nov 1880, in Montgomery Co., TX, Anne married Emmett Jones who died in 1894.

Legacy

Memucan Hunt Jr. is the namesake of

Hunt County, Texas Hunt County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 99,956. Its county seat, seat of government is Greenville, Texas, Greenville. The county is named f ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Memucan Jr. 1807 births 1856 deaths People of the Texas Revolution People from Vance County, North Carolina People from San Augustine, Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature