The Story Of Sam Houston

Originally Aired: January 9, 1940 Cavalcade of America #169, "The Story Of Sam Houston," General Sam Houston, Governor of Tennessee and friend to the President, stands at the pinnacle of success as he prepares to marry Eliza Allen, daughter of Colonel John Allen. Despite her mother's insistence that she is marrying the finest man in Tennessee and could someday become First Lady of the nation, young Eliza tearfully confesses she doesn't love Houston and her heart belongs to another. Her family pressures her to proceed with the marriage anyway, and she reluctantly agrees. On their wedding night, the devastating truth emerges when Eliza finally admits to Houston that she married him only because her father wanted her to, not out of love. Despite Houston's desperate pleas to start over and his professions of deep devotion, Eliza returns her wedding ring and leaves. The personal catastrophe becomes a public scandal, and Houston's friend Sheriff Martha warns him that angry citizens demand an explanation. Rather than reveal the private details of his shattered marriage, Houston makes a fateful decision that will alter both his life and American history.