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of an Indian. Later he went to Texas and was made commander-in-chief of the Texas troops. He met and defeated Santa Ana at the battle of San Jacinto, and by this victory gained freedom for Texas. Up to this time Texas had belonged to Mexico. He was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas; and when Texas was annexed to the United States, he was elected to the United States senate. He was elected governor of Texas in 1859. He died in 1867.

When Houston resigned his office as governor of Tennessee, William Hall became governor by virtue of the fact that he was at the time the speaker of the state senate. Governor Hall was born in Virginia. He had been a brigadier general in the Creek war, and had held many honorable offices.

Governor Carroll was eligible again for the office of governor in 1829, and this year he became a candidate and was elected. He was reëlected in 1831, and again in 1833. He and Governor Sevier are the only two men who have ever served for more than three terms as governor.

CHAPTER X

WEST TENNESSEE-MEMPHIS

In 1818, what is now West Tennessee was in possession of the Indians. During this year Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby, who had been appointed as a commission to treat with the Indians, concluded a treaty by which the Chickasaws transferred to the United States West Tennessee. They were paid for this territory the sum of $300,000.

After this treaty settlers came in rapidly, and by 1830 West Tennessee had nearly 100,000 inhabitants. But many years before this treaty was made with the Indians, two men had received large grants of land in and around the present site of Memphis. John Rice, an early trader in Tennessee, was impressed with the location on which the city of Memphis was afterward built, and in 1783 entered in a law office in North Carolina 5,000 acres of land at this place. He bequeathed his title to his brother. In 1794, John Overton bought this grant for five hundred dollars, and transferred one-half of it to Andrew Jackson. In 1783, John Ramsay also entered a tract of 5,000 acres in this same section. Overton got a part of this tract also.

In 1819, John Overton, Andrew Jackson, and James Winchester agreed to lay off a town on this land. This was the beginning of the city of Mem

phis. Jackson later sold his interest in the enterprise. But John Overton watched over and directed the development of the town in its early history, and was really the founder and father of Memphis. Overton was born in Louisa County, Virginia, 1766. He began the practice of law in Kentucky, but moved to Nashville in 1789. He and Jackson arrived in Nashville about the same time, and they soon became warm friends. This friendship was never broken. Overton was elected a judge of the supreme court in 1811. He served on the bench with great ability. He was a successful business man as well as a good lawyer. He did much for the development of Ten

nessee.

CHAPTER XI

ANDREW JACKSON-PRESIDENT

In 1824, General Jackson made the race for president of the United States. His opponents in this election were John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and Henry Clay of Kentucky.

The candidates received the following electoral votes:

Jackson
Adams
Crawford
Clay

99

84

41

39

Since no candidate had received a majority of the electoral votes cast, there was no election. It then became the duty of Congress to decide the contest, and select the president from the three candidates receiving the highest number of votes. In such a contest, the vote was cast by states, each state having one vote. Jackson had carried more states and had received more votes than either of the other candidates, and it was believed that he would be the successful candidate. But Henry Clay, who was speaker of the house of representatives at the time, threw his influence to Adams and he was elected.

Jackson was a candidate again in 1828, and Adams was again his opponent. When the vote was counted,

it was found that Jackson had carried Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and had received one hundred and seventy-eight electoral votes to eighty-three for John Quincy Adams. President Jackson was a candidate for reëlection in 1832, and was elected over Henry Clay by a very large majority.

Mrs. Jackson died two months before his first inauguration. This was a shock from which he never recovered. His devotion to his wife's memory is well brought out in the following incident:

The Honorable Nicholas P. Trist, President Jackson's private secretary, relates an affecting incident which occurred while the president was on a visit to the Rip Raps in Virginia. Mr. Trist had retired for the night and so had the president. At the last moment the secretary remembered certain letters about which he wanted specific instructions. “As the letters were to be sent off early the next morning," Mr. Trist says, "I returned to his (President Jackson's) chamber door, and tapping gently, in order not to wake him if he had got to sleep, my tap was answered by, 'Come in.' He was undressed but not yet in bed, as I supposed he must be by that time. He was sitting at the little table with his wife's miniature—a very large one, then for the first time seen by me-before him, propped up against some books; and between him and the picture lay an open book which bore the marks of long use. This book, as I afterward learned, was her prayer

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