85R24439 KSM-D
By: Bailes H.C.R. No. 129
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Presidential libraries serve a vital purpose by
advancing knowledge of individuals who helped to shape this nation;
and
WHEREAS, Combining the functions of archives, museums, and
academic institutions, presidential libraries house artifacts and
documents while offering a public place for the study and
discussion of a president's policies and place in history; Sam
Houston, the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, is
an especially apt subject for such a library; and
WHEREAS, A veteran of the War of 1812, Sam Houston served in
Tennessee as attorney general of the District of Nashville, as
major general of the state militia, as United States
representative, and ultimately, as governor; after settling in
Texas, he was a signatory to the Texas Declaration of Independence;
he led the army of Texas as major general and defeated the Mexican
army in the Battle of San Jacinto; this hero of independence was
elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas in 1836, and
he represented San Augustine in the Congress of the Republic of
Texas before serving a second term as president; from 1846 to 1859,
he was a United States senator, and he won election as governor of
Texas in 1859; and
WHEREAS, The campus of Sam Houston State University in
Huntsville is already home to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum,
which has many of the attributes of a successful presidential
library, including exhibition and conference space, a theater, and
a collection of some 12,000 Houston artifacts, such as manuscripts,
books, and furnishings related to his life and times, and two of
Houston's homes are located on the grounds; the development of a
presidential library with dedicated research space would attract
further donations of academic papers and other important materials
regarding Mr. Houston; and
WHEREAS, Establishing a presidential library for Sam Houston
at Sam Houston State University, whose motto is "The Measure of a
Life Is Its Service," would greatly enhance scholarly knowledge and
heighten public awareness of his enormous contributions to the
founding of the Republic of Texas and of the Lone Star State; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby express support for the creation of the Sam Houston Republic
of Texas Presidential Library at Sam Houston State University.