The Raven

By Marquis James

Pulitzer Prize winning biography, 1930.

Who was Sam Houston? I suppose most folks know he was the man that Houston, Texas was named after. I suppose most know that he had something to do with the founding of Texas. But beyond those two items, I didn't know anything about Sam Houston. Well, now I do. Sam Houston was the driving force behind the annexation of Texas to the United States. He was also the founder of Houston not just its namesake.
The Raven is the Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Sam Houston. It traces his early years in Tennessee, his sojourns among the Cherokees, his early political career in Tennessee, his failed first marriage and his subsequent immigration to Texas to escape the disgrace attached to that failure. Up until that time, Houston had been a colorful and interesting character. But he really came into his own in Texas. During his terms in office, he guided Texas with a sure and certain hand. Towards the end of his life, forseeing the difficulties that the Civil War would impose on not only Texas but the whole South, Sam Houston stood nearly alone in opposing the entry of Texas into the Confederacy.
Though a bit dated in its style,The Raven is a very readable and informative look at Sam Houston.