Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, was born in 1798. He
was the son of tenant farmers living in the mountains of western Massachusetts,
and grew up during the political turmoil of Shay
’s Rebellion, an uprising against the United States government that took place
near his father
’s farm.
An intelligent boy with potential, he was aided by his older brothers who paid
for him to apprentice with a Connecticut doctor so he could become a physician.
He received his license to practice medicine in 1820, opening an office in
Bainbridge, N.Y.
Along with his practice, he also opened a drugstore, which ran up debts and went
bankrupt. After paying off loans, he moved to Venezuela where he set up a
medical practice. His practice was a huge success in an area with very few
physicians, which enabled him to eventually return to the United States and
earn his medical degree from Jefferson College in Philadelphia.
An adventurer in spirit, Jones moved to New Orleans in 1824. He arrived, however, during a devastating yellow fever
and cholera epidemic. Jones found the economics and environment of New Orleans
frustrating.
After a chance meeting with Jeremiah Brown, a Texas trader, Jones caught a
vision of the new independent Texas that was on the minds of many and decided
to move to an area of Texas that was in need of a physician. He set up a
practice in Brazoria, but soon he was disgusted with the politicians of the
area, and decided to become involved in local politics for the first time in
his life.
Jones helped organize a public meeting in Columbia calling for independence from
Mexico. He sat on the consultation that drafted the Declaration of
Independence.
With war eminent, he volunteered as a soldier, and took part in the Battle of
San Jacinto in 1836. His skills came to the attention of the head of the Texas
army, Gen. Sam Houston. After the war, Houston, the Republic
’s new president, drafted Jones to serve as its representative in Washington.
Jones was elected to the Second Texas congress where he made his mark as a
disciplined, educated and respected statesman who understood the details of
running government. He became chairman of three key committees: Foreign
Relations, Ways and Means, and Privileges and Elections. After Sam Houston was
reelected to a second term as president in 1841, he appointed Jones as
secretary of state. Jones initiated subtle negotiations with Britain and the
United States to eventually effect the annexation of Texas to the U.S. in 1846.
He was instrumental in working with European countries on behalf of the
Republic to enlist immigrants to Texas. Jones became the Republic
’s fifth and last president in 1844.
In his later life, he wrote an autobiography that was reproduced in the book, Memoranda and Official Correspondence Relating to the Republic of Texas, its
History and Annexation, Including a Brief Autobiography of the Author
. He was a contemporary and personal acquaintance of many Montgomery Countians
including Charles B. Stewart, M.D., Jesse Grimes and James Burke. Letters to
these men and others can be found among his papers now held at the Texas State
Library and Archives in Austin.
Anson Jones died in 1858, and is buried in Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery.l
