George S. Houston
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| George Smith Houston | |
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| United States Senator from Alabama |
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| In office March 4, 1879 – December 31, 1879 |
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| Preceded by | George E. Spencer |
| Succeeded by | Luke Pryor |
| 24th Governor of Alabama | |
| In office November 24, 1874 – November 28, 1878 |
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| Lieutenant | Robert F. Ligon Vacant |
| Preceded by | David P. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Rufus W. Cobb |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th district |
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| In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | James Dellet |
| Succeeded by | David Hubbard |
| In office March 4, 1851 – January 21, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | David Hubbard |
| Succeeded by | John Benton Callis |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's at-large district |
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| In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 |
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| Preceded by | District inactive |
| Succeeded by | District inactive |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 17, 1811 Franklin, Tennessee |
| Died | December 31, 1879 (aged 68) Athens, Alabama |
| Political party | Democratic |
George Smith Houston (January 17, 1811 – December 31, 1879) was an American Democratic politician who was the 24th Governor of Alabama from 1874 to 1878. He was also a congressman and senator for Alabama.
Biography
Born in 1811 in Franklin, Tennessee, Houston was the son of David Ross and Hannah Pugh Reagan Houston. He worked on the family farm and attended a local academy. He read law in the office of Judge George Coalter of Florence, and completed his studies in a private law school at Harrodsburg, Kentucky.He was admitted to the bar in 1831.[1] In May 1835, he married Mary Jackson Beatty, and they had eight children; Mary Ida, Ross Jones, William Parrott, David Robert, Robert Beatty, George Smith, John Pugh, and Mary Ella. With his second wife, Ellen Irvine, he had three children, Mary E, Emma, and Maggie Lou.[2]
Career
A successful cotton farmer and a shrewd investor, by 1860, Houston possessed large landholdings and 78 slaves. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1841, he served from March 3, 1841 to March 3, 1849. Because of his unpopular stance (in the south) on the issue of slavery in new territories,[3] he decided not to run for reelection in 1848. He ran again in 1851, won the seat, and served from March 3, 1851 to March 3, 1861.[4]
Houston was elected Alabama's 24th governor on November 3, 1874, and was sworn into office on November 24, 1874. He was reelected in 1876, serving until 1878. During his two terms, the 1875 Alabama Constitution was ratified, the Alabama State Board of Health was established, taxes were reduced,and state spending was controlled.[5] His governorship began a string of Democratic governors which was unbroken until H. Guy Hunt, a Republican, became governor in 1987.
Elected to the Senate in 1866, Houston was not allowed to take the seat, as Alabama was still under Reconstruction. He was later reelected and served in the Senate from March 4, 1879 until his death on December 31, 1879.[6]
Death
Houston died in Athens, Limestone County, Alabama, on December 31, 1879 (age 68 years, 348 days). He is interred at Athens City Cemetery, Athens, Alabama.[7] Alabama's southeasternmost county was named for him in 1903, and the George Houston Memorial Bridge in Guntersville, Alabama (old and new) were named in his honor. The old bridge, a truss bridge built in 1930, was demolished in 1994 after receiving an imminent failure inspection rating.[8]
References
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
- George S. Houston at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- George Smith Houston. Alabama Governors by the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
- Find A Grave
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
District inactive
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama'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 from Alabama's 5th congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 |
Succeeded by David Hubbard |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th congressional district March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1861 |
Succeeded by John Benton Callis |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Alabama 1874–1878 |
Succeeded by Rufus W. Cobb |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Alabama 1879 Served alongside: John T. Morgan |
Succeeded by Luke Pryor |
| Class 2 |
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|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
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- Commons category link from Wikidata
- 1811 births
- 1879 deaths
- Alabama Democrats
- Governors of Alabama
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
- People from Franklin, Tennessee
- United States Senators from Alabama
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Democratic Party state governors of the United States
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
