In 1841, Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar had a vision to expand the borders of the young republic further west, perhaps as far as California. Lamar had won the 1838 presidential election, following Sam Houston, the previous elected president. Lamar was in various ways the ideological opposite of Houston. He became the second of four elected presidents in the short life of the Republic and served from 12/10/1838 to 12/3/1841. At the time, the Texas economy was suffering and Lamar acted on the supposition that he had authority to pursue trade that was currently operating along the Santa Fe Trail.
Tag: history
Pompeo Coppini, Sculptor
Coppini was a sculptor in Texas who created many memorable works, including notable statues on several Texas universities and the familiar Alamo Cenotaph just outside the Alamo in San Antonio.
James C. Loving
James C. Loving was the son of the well known cattleman and trail driver Oliver Loving and his wife Susan Loving, and was born in Kentucky in 1836. His parents came to Texas in 1845, settling for a year in Lamar County before moving to Collin County.
John Salmon “RIP” Ford, Texas Ranger
John Salmon Ford was born in 1815 in South Carolina. His family later moved to Shelbyville, Tennessee where he studied medicine. Ford came to Texas shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto, arriving in June of 1836. One of his first memories in Texas was to attend a Forth of July celebration in San Augustine in which Sam Houston was honored. Houston was still suffering from his wounded leg, but he gave a rousing speech. Ford joined the Texas Army and served until about 1838 under Col. Jack Hays, participating in many Indian battles. He then set up a medical practice in San Augustine which he operated until about 1844. During this time, he also studied law and passed the bar exam. In 1844, he won an election and began serving in the Texas House. It was Ford who introduced the resolution for Texas Annexation by the United States.
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(Image credit: American Oil and Gas Historical Society)
This is a well known image most likely to every American who is at least 40 years old. For decades, it was the trademark of Mobil gas stations and other Mobilgas products and facilities. Prior to 1911, the Standard Oil Company was the largest oil company in the world. It was founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1863 as the Standard Oil Trust and within a few years it had become a company that dominated the oil industry in the United States. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was enacted to help prevent monopolies from controlling too much of the U. S. economy. The Standard Oil Company was declared a monopoly under the Act and was ordered by the U. S. Supreme Court to break itself up into seven different “state” companies in 1911, similar to the action that was required of AT&T several decades later.
Texas History Notebook 