President of the Republic of Texas - wikipedia President of the Republic of Texas This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2016 ) President of the Republic of Texas Seal of The Republic of Texas ( 1839 -- 45 ) Precursor Political Chief ( Mexico ) Formation 16 March 1836 ( Interim ) 22 October 1836 ( Constitutional ) First holder Sam Houston ( David G. Burnet, Interim March -- October 1836 ) Final holder Anson Jones Succession Governor of Texas The President of the Republic of Texas was the head of state when Texas was an independent republic from 1836 to 1846. Contents 1 History and duties 2 Oath of office 3 List of presidents and vice presidents 4 References 5 External links History and duties Part of a series on the History of Texas Timeline French Texas 1684 -- 1689 Spanish Texas 1690 -- 1821 Mexican Texas 1821 -- 1836 Republic of Texas 1836 -- 1845 Statehood 1845 -- 1860 Civil War Era 1861 -- 1865 Reconstruction 1865 -- 1899 State of Texas Texas portal Seals of the Republic of Texas ( 1836 -- 1839 ) ( 1839 -- 1845 ) The Republic of Texas was formed in 1836. In the midst of the Texas Revolution, Texan settlers elected delegates to the Convention of 1836, which issued the Texas Declaration of Independence and elected David G. Burnet as interim president of the new country. In May 1836 Burnet and Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna, who was at the time a Texan prisoner - of - war, signed the Treaties of Velasco officially recognizing Texas 's break from Mexico. The authority and responsibilities of the president was similar to that of the President of the United States : to serve the people of Texas, and to serve as the head of the military and the state. These were detailed in the Constitution of the Republic of Texas of 1836. The Constitution specified a term of two years for the first elected president ( Sam Houston ) and terms of three years thereafter ; the president could not succeed himself, but there were otherwise no term limits. The president was elected separately from the vice president, by popular vote, and there was no requirement to be native - born. A strict reading of the Constitution provided for women 's suffrage ( that is, both men and women were citizens and could vote for Congress, president, and other offices ), but women and preachers or priests were not allowed to serve as president or in Congress. Indians and Africans and those of African descent could not be citizens. The president lived in different towns during the life of the Republic, as the capital was relocated, especially during and immediately after the Texas Revolution. Washington - on - the - Brazos was Texas ' first capital in 1836 ( provisional ), followed quickly by Harrisburg 1836 ( provisional ), Galveston 1836 ( provisional ), Velasco 1836 ( provisional ), Columbia 1836 -- 37, Houston, 1837 -- 39, and finally Austin, the modern capital, 1839 -- 46. The position was abolished with the annexation of Texas, largely due to President Anson Jones, who received the nickname `` The architect of Annexation '' and served only one year and three months. The amount of power wielded by occupants of the office varied tremendously during the nine years of Texas ' independence. Particularly in the beginning, there was a larger military need than in the 1840s, and the president therefore had considerably more power and influence than during years of relative peace. However, there is no record of any president violating or changing the Texas Constitution. As the United States and other countries such as France recognized Texan independence, presidential power functioned without interference from the outside world, though the Republic generally allied itself informally with the United States. Several presidents supported annexation of the Republic by the United States, with direct admission as a state. Under the Constitution the vice president was to succeed the president in the event of the latter 's death, resignation or removal by impeachment ; however this never happened. The vice president was also the President of the Senate, and had a casting vote in the event of a tie. Oath of office The oath or affirmation of office for the president was established in the Constitution of the Republic of Texas and was mandatory for a president ' before entering upon the duties ' of the office. The wording, very similar to that of the United States ' version, was prescribed by Article VI of the Constitution, as follows : `` I, A.B., President of the Republic of Texas, do solemnly and sincerely swear ( or affirm, as the case may be ) that I will faithfully execute the duties of my office, and to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the Republic. '' List of presidents and vice presidents Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Republic of Texas No Portrait President Term of office Party Term Previous Office Vice president -- David G. Burnet ( 1788 - 04 - 18 ) April 18, 1788 -- ( 1870 - 12 - 05 ) December 5, 1870 ( aged 82 ) March 16, 1836 -- October 22, 1836 Nonpartisan Interim Delegate to the Convention of 1833 Lorenzo de Zavala Sam Houston ( 1793 - 03 - 02 ) March 2, 1793 -- ( 1863 - 07 - 26 ) July 26, 1863 ( aged 70 ) October 22, 1836 -- December 10, 1838 Nonpartisan ( 1836 ) Commander - in - Chief of the Texian Army ( 1836 ) Mirabeau B. Lamar Mirabeau B. Lamar ( 1798 - 08 - 16 ) August 16, 1798 -- ( 1859 - 12 - 19 ) December 19, 1859 ( aged 61 ) December 10, 1838 -- December 13, 1841 Nonpartisan ( 1838 ) 1st Vice President of the Republic of Texas ( 1836 -- 1838 ) David G. Burnet Sam Houston ( 1793 - 03 - 02 ) March 2, 1793 -- ( 1863 - 07 - 26 ) July 26, 1863 ( aged 70 ) December 13, 1841 -- December 9, 1844 Nonpartisan ( 1841 ) 1st President of the Republic of Texas ( 1836 -- 1838 ) Edward Burleson Anson Jones ( 1798 - 01 - 20 ) January 20, 1798 -- ( 1858 - 01 - 09 ) January 9, 1858 ( aged 59 ) December 9, 1844 -- February 19, 1846 Nonpartisan ( 1844 ) 11th Secretary of State of the Republic of Texas ( 1841 -- 1844 ) Kenneth Anderson December 9, 1844 -- July 3, 1845 References Jump up ^ Selected by the Convention of 1836. External links Constitution of the Republic, 1836 from Gammel 's Laws of Texas, Vol. I. hosted by the Portal to Texas History. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=President_of_the_Republic_of_Texas&oldid=799479413 '' Categories : Presidents of the Republic of Texas Lists of Texas politicians Presidency of the Republic of Texas Republic of Texas Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from February 2016 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Polski Edit links This page was last edited on 7 September 2017, at 23 : 57. About Wikipedia

Question: who was the first popularly elected president of texas
Answer: Sam Houston