George Smith Houston Letters
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Scope and Contents
This collection consists of eight letters, dated from 1842 to 1861 (five holograph and three typescript copies) written by George Smith Houston. The holographs are recommendations for various positions (midshipman, post masters, head of the bureau of provisions & clothing, subscription agent, and naval physician). The three typescripts are copies of letters and may be copies of letters in the Alabama Department of Archives and History. There is one to D.S. Dalton, dated April 30, 1859 that contains Houston’s corrections to Dalton’s biographical sketch. It is in this letter that he states, “I am a little sensitive just now about my age but if important in yr view put it in – 17th January 1809…” The other two letters written to Governor A. B. Moore of Alabama, dated August 1, 1961 and August 27, 1861, in which he reports on the political conditions of Walker, Winston, and adjacent counties.
Dates
- Creation: 1842 - 1861
Creator
- Houston, George S. (George Smith) (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections. For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
George Smith Houston was born near Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee on January 17, 1811 (in a letter to D.S. Dalton, dated April 30, 1859, he stated that he was born on January 17, 1809), the son of David and Hannah Pugh (Reagan) Houston. The family moved to Lauderdale County Alabama circa 1821 and became farmers. He read law in the office of Judge George Coalter in Florence, Alabama, completed his studies in Judge Boyle’s law school in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar in 1831. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1832 for Lauderdale County. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served from 1841 to 1849 and again from 1851 to 1861 when Alabama seceded from the United States. After the war he was Senator-elect to the United States Senate in 1866, but was not permitted to take his seat, as Alabama was still under Reconstruction. He served as Governor of Alabama from 1874 to 1878. He was then re-elected to the United States Senate and served from 1879 until his death in 1879.
Extent
0.2 Linear Feet (8 letters, 13 pages)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Letters, dated from 1842 to 1861 (five holograph and three typescript copies) written by George Smith Houston. The holographs are recommendations for various positions and the three typescripts are copies of letters and may be copies of letters in the Alabama Department of Archives and History. One is to D.S. Dalton that contains Houston’s corrections to Dalton’s biographical sketch. The other two letters are written to Governor A. B. Moore of Alabama in which he reports on the political conditions of Walker, Winston, and adjacent counties.
Processing Information
Processed by Martha Bace, 2007
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to George Smith Houston Letters
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Martha Bace, 2007.
- Date
- 2007
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository