George Smith Houston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromAlabama | |
| In office March 4, 1879 – December 31, 1879 | |
| Preceded by | George E. Spencer |
| Succeeded by | Luke Pryor |
| 24th Governor of Alabama | |
| In office November 24, 1874 – November 28, 1878 | |
| Lieutenant | Robert F. Ligon Vacant |
| Preceded by | David P. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Rufus W. Cobb |
| Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office March 4, 1859 – January 21, 1861 | |
| Speaker | Samuel J. Randall |
| Preceded by | George W. Jones (1857) |
| Succeeded by | William E. Niblack/ Samuel J. Randall (1869) |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | James Dellet |
| Succeeded by | David Hubbard |
| In office March 4, 1851 – January 21, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | David Hubbard |
| Succeeded by | John Benton Callis |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Alabama'sat-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 | |
| Preceded by | District inactive |
| Succeeded by | District inactive |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1811-01-17)January 17, 1811 |
| Died | December 31, 1879(1879-12-31) (aged 68) |
| Resting place | Athens City Cemetery, Athens, Alabama |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent(s) | David Ross Houston Hannah Pugh Reagan |
| Signature | .png) |
George Smith Houston (January 17, 1811 – December 31, 1879) was an AmericanDemocratic politician who was the24th governor ofAlabama from 1874 to 1878. He was also acongressman andsenator for Alabama.
Houston was born nearFranklin, 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 nearFlorence, 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 inHarrodsburg,Kentucky.[1]
After graduating law school, Houston returned to Florence and was elected to theAlabama House of Representatives in 1831 as aJacksonian Democrat, representingLauderdale County. In 1834, GovernorJohn Gayle appointed Houston to be district solicitor,[2] but he was defeated in the subsequent election to that office. He then moved toLimestone 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.[1]
In 1840, Houston was elected as aDemocrat to theUnited States House of Representatives. During his tenure, he chaired theHouse Military Affairs Committee, theHouse Ways and Means Committee, and theHouse Judiciary Committee.[1]
As aSouthern Unionist, Houston was one of only four southern Democrats not to sign SenatorJohn 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 theMexican–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 theCorwin Amendment, which would have amended theUnited States Constitution so that Congress could never abolish slavery.
Following theAmerican Civil War outbreak, Houston resigned from his office and returned home. Two of his sons fought for theConfederate States of America, but Houston himself stayed out of the war. In 1862, Houston's property was ransacked by U.S. Army GeneralIvan Turchin.[1]
Houston presented his credentials as a senator-elect from Alabama duringReconstruction, but theRepublican Party refused to seat him.[3] Houston attended PresidentAndrew Johnson's1866 National Union Convention to oppose theRadical Republicans.Houston attempted to become a U.S. Senator again in 1867 but was defeated by former GovernorJohn A. Winston. Like in the Civil War, Houston would play no part in Reconstruction in Alabama.
In 1874, Houston ran asuccessful campaign for governor, garnering 53% of the vote and ousting incumbentDavid P. Lewis. Houston's election was the start of a long line of Democratic governors of the state, not being broken until1986. 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 aBourbon 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 ofMobile and Levi W. Lawler ofTalladega 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-controlledAlabama 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 oflieutenant governor.
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]
Houston was finally elected to theUnited States Senate in 1878 but died at his home inAthens on December 31, 1879.[4] He was buried in Athens City Cemetery.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Robert B. Lindsay | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Alabama 1874,1876 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by District inactive | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's at-large congressional district March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 | Succeeded by District inactive |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's 5th congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's 5th congressional district March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1861 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Alabama 1874–1878 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Alabama March 4, 1879 – December 31, 1879 Served alongside:John T. Morgan | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
