Slim pickings in the last Texas presidential election

W

ith independence about to be swapped for statehood, Texans packed the polls on Sept. 2, 1844 to pick a president for the fourth and final time. 

The year before the Lone Star Republic’s last election, Texans could not have imagined that they would be forced to choose between Anson Jones and Edward Burleson. Even though each man had held important positions, both were political small fry clearly not cut out to be in charge. But when more qualified figures refused to run, the nominations of their respective factions went to Jones and Burleson by default.