Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar
Rosenberg, Fort Bend County, Texas
Marker Inscription
President of the Republic of Texas A native of Georgia, Mirabeau B. Lamar came to Texas in 1835 and immediately became involved in the movement for independence from Mexico. Upon the fall of the Alamo and news of the Goliad Massacre, he joined the Texas Army, in the rank of private, as Houston's troops moved eastward toward San Jacinto. In a swiftly moving chain of events, he was made colonel on the eve of the Battle of San Jacinto, and there commanded the cavalry with distinction. Ten days later he was Secretary of War in the ad interim government, and a month later was appointed commander-in-chief of the army. Lamar was elected vice-president in the first national election in 1836. Anti-Sam Houston leaders sponsored him for president in 1837. He won the election and took office in 1838 for a 3-year term. His administration was known for its opposition to annexation, a forceful Indian policy, and the recognition of Texas by Great Britain and France. Lamar is credited with laying the foundation for the first system of public education in Texas. He died in 1859 at his plantation near Richmond, and is buried here in the Morton Cemetery.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Mirabeau B. Lamar arrived in Texas from Georgia in 1835 and rose meteorically—a private who was made a colonel on the eve of San Jacinto, where he commanded the cavalry with distinction, then vice-president and, in 1838, the second president of the Republic of Texas. His administration opposed annexation, pursued an aggressive Indian policy, and won recognition from Britain and France. Above all he is remembered as the father of Texas public education. He died in 1859 and lies buried in Morton Cemetery.
Why it matters
Lamar helped define the independent Republic of Texas and laid the groundwork for its public school system, embodying the ambitions and contradictions of Texas nationhood before it joined the Union.
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Related people
- · Mirabeau B. Lamar
- · Sam Houston
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Site of the Home of Mirabeau B. Lamar
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This Richmond site was the home of Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas, where he lived from 1851 until his death in 1859. Remembered as the father of Texas education for laying the foundation of the state's public school system, Lamar spent his final years here after a career at the center of Texas independence and nationhood.
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