Mirabeau B. Lamar Day

January 26, 2023 - On Thursday, January 26, the William Carroll Crawford Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas will celebrate Mirabeau B. Lamar Day, one of the Honor Days set aside to honor people and events of the Republic of Texas.

Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas, was born on August 16, 1798 in Georgia, the son of John and Rebecca Lamar. He grew up at Fairfield, his father's plantation near Milledgville, Georgia. He came to Texas in 1835 to collect historical data and decided to remain in the Mexican province. He declared for Texas independence, helped build a fort at Velasco and joined the revolutionary army. He was given a battlefield commission of colonel and assigned to command the cavalry. He became secretary of war in David G. Burnet's cabinet and was elected vice-president in 1836. On December 10, 1838 he was inaugurated as the second president of the young Republic of Texas. 

Lamar proposed that the Congress establish a system of education endowed by public lands. The act of January 26, 1839 granted each of the existing 23 counties four leagues of land to be used for education and set aside fifty leagues of land for the development of two universities.  His advocacy of this program earned him the nickname "Father of Texas Education. Lamar supported the Homestead Act of 1839 and during his term the Lone Star flag and State seal were adopted. 

Fly your Texas flag proudly on January 26 and honor Mirabeau B. Lamar and Texas.