David G. Burnet

David G. Burnet
David G. Burnet
President of the Republic of Texas Interim
In office March 17, 1836 – October 22, 1836
Vice President	Lorenzo de Zavala
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Sam Houston
2nd Vice President of the Republic of Texas
In office December 31, 1838 – December 13, 1841
President	Mirabeau B. Lamar
Preceded by	Mirabeau B. Lamar
Succeeded by	Edward Burleson
Secretary of State of Texas
In office May 4, 1846 – January 1, 1848
Preceded by	Charles Mariner
Succeeded by	Washington D. Miller
Personal details
Born	David Gouverneur Burnet April 14, 1788 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	December 5, 1870(1870-12-05) (aged 82) Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Lakeview Cemetery, Galveston

David Gouverneur Burnet (April 14, 1788 – December 5, 1870) was an early politician within the Republic of Texas, serving as the interim president of Texas in 1836, the second vice president of the Republic of Texas (1839–1841), and the secretary of State (1846) for the new state of Texas after it was annexed to the United States.

Burnet was born in Newark, New Jersey,^[1][2] and attended law school in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a young man, he lived with a Comanche tribe for a year before he returned to Ohio. In 1806 Burnet volunteered to serve the unsuccessful filibustering expeditions led by General Francisco de Miranda for the independence of Venezuela from Spain. He fought in Chile in 1807 and in Venezuela in 1808. After Miranda broke with Simon Bolivar, Burnet returned to the United States in 1812.

In 1826, he moved to Stephen F. Austin's colony in Mexican Texas. He received a land grant as an empresario but was forced to sell the land after he had failed to attract enough settlers to his colony, and he later lost his right to operate a sawmill after he refused to convert to Roman Catholicism.^{[citation needed]}

On hearing of William B. Travis's plea for help at the Alamo, Burnet traveled to Washington-on-the-Brazos to recruit help from the Convention of 1836. He remained at the convention and was elected interim president on March 17, 1836. On his orders, the government fled Washington-on-the-Brazos for Harrisburg, thus inspiring the Runaway Scrape. Burnet narrowly avoided capture by Mexican troops the following month.

After Sam Houston's victory at the Battle of San Jacinto, Burnet took custody of Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna and negotiated the Treaties of Velasco. Many Texans were infuriated that the treaty allowed Santa Anna to escape execution, and some called for Burnet's arrest for treason. Burnet declined to run for president and resigned as interim president on October 22, 1836.

He served as vice president under Mirabeau B. Lamar and participated in the Battle of Neches. He was defeated in the next presidential election by Houston. When Texas was annexed by the United States, Burnet served as the state's first Secretary of State.

The first Reconstruction state legislature appointed him to the United States Senate, but he was unable to take his seat because of the Ironclad oath.

Burnet County, Texas, is named for him.