January 26, 2015 Ceremony Honoring Mirabeau B. Lamar

On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, we will hold the 5th annual memorial ceremony honoring the 2nd President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar.

On this very day, 176 years ago, President Lamar signed an Act reserving three (3) Leagues of land in each county to be used to pay for a public school system in Texas. Even thought it was years before Public Schools came into being in Texas, President Lamar is remembered as the “Father of Texas Education.” In addition, President Lamar reserved 50 Leagues of land for two state supported colleges in Texas, which continue to benefited both the University of Texas and Texas A&M University today. In fact, one of his most popular phrases President Lamar used in his speeches was: “A Cultivated Mind is the Guardian Genius of Democracy,” and this phrase remains the Moto of the University of Texas to this today.

On January 25, 1839, President Lamar signed an Act making the current State Flag of Texas the last flag of the Republic of Texas, and on January 29, 1839, President Lamar signed the first Homestead Act in the world! The Homestead Act keeps the home place from being taken from the widow by the mortgage company when the husband dies. This was a monumental week in Texas history, with three (3) important bills being signed in a five (5) day period, which continue to affect our lives today. Do you know of any other governmental entity that has acted on three important bills in a five-day period?

The ceremony will be at the grave of President Mirabeau B. Lamar in the Morton Cemetery, located just north of downtown Richmond, Texas. This is a historic cemetery with Jane Long also buried just to the south of President Lamar’s grave, and the first Masonic Burial Monument located just to the east of President Lamar’s grave. The major purpose of both the Sons of the Republic of Texas (SRT) and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is to perpetuate the history of the Republic of Texas and educated our citizens, so please not only mark your calendar to attend this important event, but to forward this News Release to anyone you know who might be interested. P

lease contact Tom Green at 713-340-1965 or TBGreen3@gmail.com if you have any questions.