In 1818, he
managed to gain admittance to the bar, and his rise was so rapid that
within five years he had been elected to Congress, and four years later
governor of Tennessee. Then came the strange catastrophe which nearly
wrecked his life.
Houston was, after Andrew Jackson, the most popular man in the state. He
resembled the hero of New Orleans in many ways, being rough, rude,
hot-headed and honest--just the sort of man to appeal to the people
among whom his lot was cast. When, therefore, in January, 1829, while
governor of the state, he married Miss Eliza Allen, a member of one of
the most prominent families in it, everybody wished him well, and the
wedding was a great affair. But scarcely was the honeymoon over, when he
sent his bride back to her parents, resigned the governorship, and,
refusing to give any explanation of his conduct, plunged into the
wilderness to the west.
Perhaps the most characteristic feature of frontier society is its
chivalry toward women, and Houston's conduct brought about his head a
perfect storm of indignation. No doubt he had many enemies who welcomed
the opportunity to wreck his fame, and who gladly added their voices to
the uproar. From the most popular man, he became the most hated, and it
would have been dangerous for him to venture back within the state's
borders.
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