Sam Houston's 1857 Campaign in Marshall
Marshall, Harrison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On May 23, 1857, during his first Texas gubernatorial race, Sam Houston came to Marshall, the hometown of two of his most outspoken critics, Robert Loughery and Louis T. Wigfall, for a much anticipated debate against his opponent Hardin Runnels. Here under an oak tree, in an overwhelmingly secessionist area, the Unionist Houston spoke so eloquently that Runnels, who was scheduled to follow, declined to speak. Though he lost the election, Houston's stirring oratory brought him forty-eight percent of the Harrison County vote.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On May 23, 1857, during his first run for Texas governor, the Unionist Sam Houston came to Marshall—hometown of two of his fiercest secessionist critics—to debate his opponent Hardin Runnels. Speaking beneath an oak in overwhelmingly pro-secession country, Houston was so commanding that Runnels declined to answer. Houston lost the election but still carried nearly half the Harrison County vote.
Why it matters
The debate captures Houston's lonely Unionist stand in the years when Texas was hurtling toward secession and civil war.
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Related people
- · Sam Houston
- · Hardin Runnels
- · Louis T. Wigfall
- · Robert Loughery
Themes & tags
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