Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (August 16, 1798 – December 19, 1859) was the third president of the Republic of Texas.

Lamar was born near Louisville, Georgia in Jefferson County, Georgia.

He moved to Texas in 1835. His term as President of Texas began in December of 1838 and he served until 1841.

Lamar was a fierce opponent of fellow Texan Sam Houston. Houston and Lamar had different views on virtually every topic relating to the development of the new Republic of Texas, from finances to dealing with Texas Native Americans (Lamar favored eradicating them) to the Annexation of Texas into the USA (Lamar opposed it). Lamar secured recognition of Texas by several European countries, and founded the capital of the Republic of Texas, in Austin.

Lamar is also known for his setting aside public domains for public schools, and he is widely regarded as the "Father of Education in Texas." Many cities in Texas have schools named after him, including Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and Lamar High School in Houston, Texas.

External links

• Mirabeau B. Lamar
• The Handbook of Texas Online