Texas History and Genealogy - presented by Genealogy Trails

ABERDEEN, Earl	British foreign minister
ADAMS, John Quincy	Proposed purchasing Texas while president, but was chief opponent to annexation while serving in the House of Representatives
ALLEN, Ebenezer	Attorney General and Secretary of State in Jones's Cabinet. Helped frame annexation terms
ALMONTE, Juan N.	Mexican Minister to U. S., 1841-1845
ARCHER, Branch T.	Elected by Consultation to serve as Commissioner to U.S. with Austin and Wharton
ARCHER, William S.	Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee and opposed to annexation
AUSTIN, Stephen F.	BANCROFT, George
BANKHEAD, Charles	British minister to Mexico 1844, ff.
BEE, Barnard E.	Secretary of State under Burnet, one of three commissioners sent to accompany Santa Anna to Washington. Sent to Mexico in an unsuccessful effort to secure recognition of independence. Minister to the U.S. 1838-41.
BENTON, Thomas Hart	Missouri Senator who over the years introduced several bills favoring Texas annexation, including the bill that became section three of the annexation resolution.
BIDDLE, Nicholas	Former head of the United States bank, in favor of annexation.
BIRNEY, James G.	National Liberty Party candidate in 1844
BLAIR, Frances P.	Editor of the Washington Globe and pro- annexation
BOCANEGRA, Jose Maria	Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations
BROWN, Milton	Tennessee Representative whose successful 1845 House Resolution to admit Texas as a state formed the basis for the final Joint Resolution.
BUCHANAN, James	Pro-annexation senator, Secretary of State under Polk
BUTLER, Anthony –	U.S. Minister to Mexico 1830-35. Authorized to offer $5 million for Texas, his conduct in "negotiation" became so offensive he had to be removed.
CALHOUN, John C.	Secretary of State under Tyler
CASS, Lewis	Anglophobe, opposed Polk for 1844 nomination
CATRON, John
CHANNING, William E.	Unitarian Minister whose A Letter to the Hon. Henry Clay on the Annexation of Texas to the United States... strongly opposed Texas annexation
CLAY, Henry	As Secretary of State under Adams he attempted to purchase Texas; his waffling on the annexation question probably cost him the presidency
CONNER, David E.	Naval commodore sent by Tyler and Polk to the Gulf of Mexico to provide naval assistance to Texas if needed
CUEVAS, Luis G.	Mexican Foreign Minister
CYPREY, Alleye de	French Minister to Mexico
DONELSON, Andrew Jackson	U.S. charge to the Republic of Texas, 1844-5
DOUGLAS, Stephen A.	Proposed a joint resolution for annexation in the U.S. House in December 1844 and reported a joint resolution declaring Texas a fully empowered state in December 1845.
DRUMGOOLE, [George]?
ELLIOT, Charles	British charge for the Republic of Texas 1842, ff. He worked to bring about Mexican recognition of Texas independence
EVE, Joseph	U.S. charge for the Republic of Texas 1841-43
EVERETT, Edward	U.S. minister to England
FORBES, James A.	FORSYTH, John
U.S. Secretary of State	GARRISON, William Lloyd
GOROSTIZA, Manuel de	Mexican minister to U. S. until the end of 1836. His pamphlet accusing the U.S. of complicity in the Revolution in Texas delayed recognition of the new Republic.
GREEN, Benjamin E.	U.S. charge for Mexico. In 1844 he met with Bocanegra and proposed that Mexio allow its representatives in Washington open boundary negotiations (including those between Texas and Mexico). The Mexican minister restated his country's intention to go to war if Texas were annexed.
GREEN, Duff	Jacksonian editor, later Tyler's special emissary in England
GUERRERO, Vicente	Became Mexican president after Pedraza was put out of office by revolution in 1828
GUIZOT, Francois	French premier 1840 ff
HAMILTON, James	Commissioner under Lamar to negotiate a $5 million loan with U.S., diplomatic agent working for recognition of Texan independence, particularly in France and Mexico. Negotiated treaties of recognition with Netherlands and England.
HAYWOOD, William H., Jr.	Senator from North Carolina. Proposed the amending legislation that broke the deadlock over passage of the amended joint resolution. His suggestion was to vest the discretionary power in choosing between the alternatives set forth in the resolution in the president.
HENDERSON, J. Pinckney	Succeeded Austin as Secretary of State. Minister to England and France 1837-9; with Van Zandt he negotiated annexation treaty in 1844
HERRERA, Jose Joaquin	Mexican president ad interim December 1844, became president "by default" when Santa Anna's attempt to overthrow the government failed
HOCKLEY, George W.	One of the group who accompanied Santa Anna to Washington, DC. Houston sent him with S M Williams to negotiate an armistice with Mexico in 1843
HOUSTON, Sam
HOWARD, Tilghman A.	Appointed U.S. charge to Texas in 1844, but died of yellow fever soon after he arrived. Houston & Jones pressed him for confirmation of Tyler's earlier promise to give military protection to Texas during negotiations.
HUNT, Memucan	Appointed along with Wiliam H. Wharton to gain U.S. recognition of independence. Houston appointed him Texan minister to the U.S. Presented the Texan proposal for annexation in 1837. Negotiated a boundary convention with the U.S. in 1838 and served on the joint boundary commission in 1839
INGERSOLL, Charles J.	Chairman of the committee on foreign relations in 1844. In the next session he moved a joint resolution embodying the substance of the treaty, but the proposal was rejected.
JACKSON, Andrew
JEFFERSON, Thomas
JOHNSON, Cave	Representative from Tennessee with considerable political influence in the lower chamber. He favored a compromise candidate in the 1844 convention
JONES, Anson
LAMAR, Mirabeau B.
McDUFFIE, George	Senator from South Carolina and perceived as Calhoun's man in the Senate. Pro annexation, he submitted a joint resolution for annexation that came on the Senate floor June 11, 1844. Eventually defeated, the joint resolution was reintroduced at the beginning of the 1845 session but failed to pass
MILLER, Washington D.
MURPHY, William S.	U.S. charge for Texas 1843-4. He gave Houston an unauthorized assurance of U.S. protection during the treaty negotiations. The Senate failed to confirm his appointment, but he died before he could return to the U.S.
NARVAEZ, Ramon
PAGEOT, Alphonse	French minister to United States
PAKENHAM, Richard	British minister to U.S.1843, ff; sent there from his previous post as minister to Mexico
PALMERSTON, Lord	Head of the opposition party during Peel's administration
PEDRAZA, Manuel Gomez	President of Mexico 1828, but overthrown and replaced by Guerrero
PEEL, Sir Robert	Prime minister 1841-6
POINSETT, Joel R.	U.S. minister to Mexico under Jackson. Authorized to pay up to a million dollars to readjust the boundary negotiated in 1819, his ineptitude and arrogance forced his recall in 1829.
POLK, James K.
RAYMOND, Charles H.	Succeeded Isaac Van Zandt as charge to the U.S. in 1843 and became secretary of the legation in 1844
REILY, James	Appointed minister to the U.S. 12-23-1841 (rank later downgraded to charge, however). Signed the treaty of amity and commerce and navigation between the U.S. and Texas negotiated in 1842 (but never ratified). Reappointment in 1844 was not confirmed by the Texas Senate since Reily opposed annexation.
REJON, Manuel Crescencio	Mexican minister to U.S. His letters to Shannon in 1844 threatened Mexican reprisals against Texas. The correspondence gave Tyler and excuse to further urge annexation in his December 18 message to Congress conveying the documents.
ROBINSON, James W.	One of the prisoners seized by Woll in 1842, he opened a clandestine correspondence with Santa Anna. He was released from prison and allowed to take terms for an agreement between Texas and Mexico. He delivered the terms to Houston, and may have been responsible for the ensuing armistice negotiations.
RUSK, Thomas J.	President of the Convention of 1845
SALIGNY, Alphonse de	French charge appointed in 1839. After the failure of the Franco Texienne bill, he returned to France, but came back as charge briefly in 1842. Appointed again in 1844, he worked against annexation.
SANTA ANNA, Antonio Lopez de
SEDGWICK, Theodore	His 1843 letters to the New York Evening Post, later issued as a pamphlet Thoughts on the Proposed Annexation of Texas, declared annexation unconstitutional
SHANNON, Wilson	U.S. minister to Mexico 1844 whose October 14, 1844 letter to Rejon set off the controversial series of exchanges. His insistance that Rejon withraw the offensive letters left Shannon with little diplomatic influence
SHERMAN, Sidney	As commander of the militia, Sherman was accused by Jones in his Memoirs of plotting to seize Matamoros in league with Robert F. Stockton. Stockton alleged that he persuaded Sherman to call out the militia for border defense
SMITH, Ashbel	Texan charge to England and France 1842-44. Secretary of State in 1844 and negotiated the Smith- Cuevas treaty with Mexico, recognizing Texas independence.
STOCKTON, Robert F.	U.S. naval commodore who arrived in the Gulf in May 1845 to convey to annexation resolution to the Texan government.
TAPPAN, Benjamin	Leaked the details of the U.S.-Texas annexation treaty to the press during the deliberations, causing a public outcry against the proposed treaty
TAYLOR, Zachary
TERRELL, George W.	Texas Secretary of State under Burnet, again in 1841, and 1844 was appointed charge to France, Great Britain and Spain
THOMPSON, Waddy	U.S. minister to Mexico 1842-44. Helped obtain release of Santa Fe Expedition prisoners. Favored annexation.
TREAT, James	Lamar appointed him as special agent to Mexico in 1839 to try to negotiate a peace treaty. He worked unsuccessfully: Mexico rejected the treaty in October 1840. He died on the voyage back to Texas.
TYLER, John
UPSHUR, Able P.	Secretary of State 1843-44. Instrumental in the negotiations to annex Texas, Upshur was killed in the Princeton explosion.
VAN BUREN, Martin	Secretary of State 1829-31, President 1839-41. Opposed annexation
VAN ZANDT, Isaac	Appointed charge d'affairs to U.S. in 1842, he served throughout the treaty negotiations of 1844. Member of the Convention of 1845
VITALBA, John
WALKER, Robert J.	Offered a proposal for recognizing Texas in January 1837 that eventually passed in March. Early proponent of annexation. In 1844 he helped break the statemate in the Senate by suggesting that Brown's House Resolution and Benton's proposals be combined on an amended joint resolution that finally succeeded
WARD, Henry G.	British minister to Mexico. He warned Mexican authorities against allowing American colonization in the 1820s and later tangled with Poinsett when the latter arrived in Mexico

WEBB, James	Appointed Secretary of State by Lamar, later sent as a minister to Mexico. Mexico refused to receive him, however. Served in the Convention of 1845
WEBSTER, Daniel	Secretary of State 1841-43. As senator in 1845 he opposed annexation.
WELLER, J. B.	Representative from Ohio who authored one of several resolutions in December 1844 for annexing Texas. His called for Texas' admission as a territory
WHARTON, William H.	One of three commissioners sent by the Consultation to negotation support and funding from the U.S., later the first Texas minister to U.S.
WICKLIFF, Charles A.	Confidential U.S. agent sent to counteract any British or French efforts to stop annexation
WINTHROP, Robert C.	Representative whose attempt to bring a resolution against annexing Texas failed so completely in 1844 that its failure was considered a test of Congressional sentiment on the subject
WRIGHT, Silas	U.S. Senator from New York whose proposal to fund a Secretary of Legation in Texas eventually passed in 1837
YELL, Archibald	Active in the U.S. and Texas to promote annexation, Yell was sent by Polk to Texas to convey President Tyler's choice of annexation options to Donelson, the charge to Texas.