TIL that Sam Houston is the only person to have served as the governor of 2 U.S. states, with him serving as the 6th governor of Tennessee from 1827-1829, and as the 7th governor of Texas from 1859-1861.

[u/Blackraven2007]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Houston#:~:text=he%20also%20served%20as%20the%20sixth%20governor%20of%20tennessee%20and%20the%20seventh%20governor%20of%20texas%2C%20the%20only%20individual%20to%20be%20elected%20governor%20of%20two%20different%20states%20in%20the%20united%20states.

[u/blatantninja]

He was also against secession which is why he didn't complete a full term as governor

[u/DannkDanny → u/blatantninja]

That is interesting given early Texas history and why the US settlers went to Texas in the first place.

[u/kitavu → u/DannkDanny]

Sam Houston's whole political career as President was getting Texas to join the United States so it's not that surprising he didn't want to immediately turn around and leave it!

[u/pants_mcgee → u/kitavu]

Well that and he knew the South was going to get its ass beat by the North. He has a speech that pretty much lays out how the Civil War went.

[u/BigAl7390 → u/pants_mcgee]

He called it from a mile away.

[u/AudibleNod → u/DannkDanny]

Texas is one-for-two in successfully seceding from a country because of slavery.

[u/blatantninja → u/DannkDanny]

Not really. Most Texas settlers went to Texas to escape debts in the US. Or they were wanted for other crimes. The list of crimes, scams and other activities of illrepute by the founding fathers of Texas is quite long!

Houston understood that Secession would lead to defeat.

[u/WaywardVegabond → u/blatantninja]

Texas fought twice to preserve the institution of slavery, it was one of the main causes for it wanting to succeed from Mexico, as it had abolished slavery in 1829, they then fought for the confederacy 30 years later.  Even in the peacetime between the wars they gave up the Oklahoma panhandle in order to maintain their status as a slave state.

[u/blatantninja → u/WaywardVegabond]

It was one of the causes of the Texas Revolution for sure. There were plenty of other grievances that would have led to rebellion, one of the main ones being that they banned further immigration for the US. Don't forget while Mexico outlawed slavery technially, they allowed 99 year indentured servant contracts. It was a half assed effort.

[u/dongeckoj → u/blatantninja]

Against secession from the US but for secession from Mexico

[u/kc1rhb]

He was also a president, beating none other than Austin in the 1836 Texas presidential election!

His whole Wikipedia article is crazy:

When Houston returned to Washington in 1832, Congressman William Stanbery alleged that Houston had placed a fraudulent bid in 1830 in collusion with the Jackson administration. On April 13, 1832, after Stanbery refused to answer Houston's letters regarding the incident, Houston beat Stanbery with a cane.

Also take a look at that picture. It’s crazy to think he was a boy when George Washington was president. A good portrait painter did a lot for a man’s appearance that photos didn’t!

[u/TheBanishedBard]

This sounds like it would be a decent final jeopardy answer.

Category: US History

"This man was the only person in American history to be governor of two different US states."

[u/mr_rek2 → u/TheBanishedBard]

It was on jeopardy!

[u/Zisx → u/mr_rek2]

Did any of the contestants answer it correctly?

[u/CommieShareFest → u/TheBanishedBard]

hes also the only “foreign” head of state to serve in the US Congress as he was the President of the Republic of Texas

[u/oystertoe]

I always thought Mitt Romney being a governor in ma and then a senator in ut was pretty wild

[u/natetheloner → u/oystertoe]

His dad was a governor of Michigan as well.

[u/henrysmith78362]

My 3rd. great grandfather was the Alcalde of Texas under Mexican rule, the first provisional governor of the Republic of Texas, and Treasury Secretary under Sam Houston. Unfortunately none of this has put a single penny in my pocket.

[u/sto_brohammed]

I wonder if there are any other governors who were head of state of a foreign government.

[u/Paincer]

Someone watched Jeopardy last night

[u/Fit-Let8175]

I'm thinking that either he was that good at his job, or at least one of those states couldn't find anyone better.