President Roosevelt's Father Meets Sam Houston

While searching for Alamo-related documents to include into the Alamo gallery, I came upon an interesting find in the National Archives.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1936

On a hot Texas summer day on June 11, 1936, President Roosevelt gave a speech to a group of prominent Texans at the center of the San Jacinto battlefield, not far from the water's edge. The speech commemorated the 100 year anniversary of the San Jacinto/Alamo battle, "a battle," Roosevelt said, that "very few spots in the United States" can "equal in significance".

Perhaps, more interestingly, Roosevelt made mention of an old man in the crowd that day. It was none other than Andrew Jackson Houston, one of Sam Houston's sons.

"What a splendid combination of names that is!" Roosevelt remarked.

"Although, Colonel Houston," he continued, "you are many, many years my senior, yet, I am proud to know that my father knew your father. I shall always remember, when I was a small boy, how my father used often to tell me that, when he was a very young man, he was sent to Washington by his law office to carry papers to Senator Houston of Texas."

Roosevelt went on to say, "There, in this great room, propped up in a great bed, nightgown and nightcap, even though it was past the noon hour, lay that splendid old man, that gentleman who had been governor of Tennessee, liberator of Texas, President of the Republic, Governor of his state of Texas and Senator from his State."

The story of Roosevelt's father meeting Sam Houston is continued. Read them yourself by going to our HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS gallery. 

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