George Tyler Wood George Tyler Wood ( March 12 , 1795 – September 3 , 1858 ) was an American military officer and politician who served as the second Governor of Texas . Background . Most records dealing with Wood ' s personal life have been lost due to fire or other causes . As a result many details about his life are unknown . Wood was born near Cuthbert , Georgia on March 12 , 1795 . His mother was Elizabeth Burris Wood . His father , name unknown , died when he was five . When he was nineteen , Wood raised a company of volunteers for the Creek War and fought in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend . According to tradition , Wood met Sam Houston and Edward Burleson during the campaign . Wood operated a successful dry goods business based in Cuthbert . During a buying trip in 1837 he met a young widow named Martha Gindrat during a stop in Milledgeville , Georgia . The two married on September 18 , 1837 . The marriage produced two children in addition to the three Martha brought from her previous marriage . Beyond his business interests , Wood was a member of the Georgia General Assembly from 1837 – 8 . Texas . In 1839 , Wood and his family moved to the Republic of Texas . After exploring the Brazos , Colorado and Trinity rivers , he selected a site near the present - day town of Point Blank in Liberty County ( now in San Jacinto County ) . At this site he quickly built a prosperous plantation . Wood was elected to the Congress of the Republic of Texas in 1841 , representing Liberty County in the House of Representatives . In 1845 , during the annexation of Texas by the United States , he represented his home county during the convention which wrote the state constitution Wood was elected to the Texas Senate following Texas ' s admission to the United States . When the Mexican - American War began he resigned his senate seat and became Colonel of the Second Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers . During his service he was present for the capture of Monterrey . Governorship . The 1847 decision of Governor James Pinckney Henderson to not seek another term left a wide open race for his replacement . A race dominated by five candidates developed with the key issue being how to deal with the public debt . About a month before the election one of the candidates , Isaac Van Zandt , died of yellow fever . Most of Van Zandt ' s support shifted to Wood . As a result he won the election with 7 , 154 votes compared to second place finisher James B . Miller with 5 , 106 . When the governor took office , Texas had US $ 5 , 500 , 00 in outstanding bonds with no obvious means to repay the debt . To deal with the public debt , he advocated a plan to sell state land to the U . S . Federal government . The Texas Legislature did not support this plan and , after negotiations with Wood , passed a bill calling for the state Accountant and comptroller to determine the exact amount of debt before a method of payment was determined . The Wood administration also saw an intensification of a dispute over the status of New Mexico . Texas considered New Mexico part of its territory but the claim was not recognized by the Federal government . To strengthen its claim , the Texas Legislature created Santa Fe County and the eleventh judicial district . When the judge appointed to preside over the new district arrived in Santa Fe , he found federal troops already in the city who were determined to support the federal position . Other issues dealt with by Wood were the organization of towns and counties , establishing court buildings , and reforming government operations . To defend the state ' s western frontier , a request was sent to Congress asking for a string of forts to be constructed . reapportionment of the state was the most contested issue to arise during Wood ' s term . The coastal and central sections of the state , fearing loss of representation , opposed the proposal while the northeastern section supported the effort . Despite the opposition , a reapportionment bill was passed by the legislature . On February 21 , 1848 , Wood presided over the Texas Democratic convention , the first true political convention to be held in the state . This was followed by an 1849 effort to win a second term . The primary challenger to the governor was Peter H . Bell who ran on the issues of frontier defense and the New Mexico dispute . Wood strongly defended the positions he had taken but was defeated by a margin of 10 , 319 votes to 8 , 754 . Later life . After leaving office , Wood returned to his farm . In addition to his plantation , he established a mercantile business in Galveston . He would made unsuccessful runs to be elected Governor in 1853 and 1855 . He died at his home on September 3 , 1858 .