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The only daughter of Texas Governor Jim Hogg. She became known as "The First Lady of Texas." She was an arts patron and philanthropist. |
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Texas Originals: Billy Lee Brammer A journalist, turned political aide, who found fame as a novelist. His book, The Gay Place is a work of fiction, but it captures Texas politics like no other novel. |
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Texas Originals: Minnie Fisher Cunningham She was an early fighter for women’s rights. She was a leader in the suffragette movement and played a significant role in the ratification of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. |
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Texas Originals: Amon G. Carter Founder and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He was a major collector of American art and sculpture which became the basis for the Amon Carter Museum, the largest collection of American art in Texas. |
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Texas Originals: Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias She was nicknamed "Babe" because of her remarkable athletic skills. She medaled in several Olympic track and field events. She and husband George Zaharias helped launch the Ladies Professional Golf Association. |
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Texas Originals: Lorenzo de Zavala He opposed Spanish rule over Mexico and then opposed Mexican rule over Texas. Fought with the Texians against Mexico for Texas Independence and became the Republic of Texas' first Vice President |
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Texas Originals: Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca An adventurer who explored Texas and its earliest inhabitants. His book about his travels, Relacion, was the first literary work with Texas as a subject and became the "cornerstone of the history of the Spanish Southwest." |
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Texas Originals: Miriam "Ma" Ferguson She served as "First Lady" of Texas as wife of Texas Governor Jim Ferguson. Then succeeded him as the first woman elected as Governor of Texas. |
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Texas Originals: William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) A writer working under the pen-name of O'Henry. He worked as a ranch-hand, pharmacist, bank teller and even served time in prison, but his fame was found in literature. |
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Texas Originals: Oveta Culp Hobby The first Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first commanding officer of the Women’s Army Corps and Chairman of the Board of the Houston Post. |
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A folklorist whose love of music led to a life's mission of collecting and recording folk songs performed in almost every state. |
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Commander of the Battle of the Alamo. Famous for the prophetic dispatch, "If my countrymen do not rally to my relief, I am determined to perish in defense of this place." |
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One of the few survivors of the Battle of the Alamo. As the smoke was still rising from the mission, Mexican General Santa Ana dispatched Dickinson to the city of Gonzales to warn fellow Texians of the strength of the Mexican forces, sparking the "Runaway Scrape." |
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He documented the cruelty of slaveholding in the 1850s and his writings about the subject remain some of the most descriptive and informative of the period. |
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A legendary medical doctor and social reformer who founded the American G. I. Forum. |
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A legendary rancher and cattleman who created the livestock industry as we know it today. |
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Despite great opposition, she spent her life fighting for Texas women’s right to vote. She was president of Austin Woman Suffrage Association. |
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A pioneering Tejano who fought discrimination faced by Mexican-Americans during the battle of Texas Independence. |
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An educator and folklorist who became the first Mexican American president of the Texas Folklore Society. She also helped establish the Spanish language program in Corpus Christi’s public schools. |
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A Franciscan Priest who brought Spanish settlers to Texas in the 1600s and founded the first Spanish Mission in East Texas. |
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A Texas-born businesswoman, philanthropist, and historic preservationist who provided the money to preserve the Alamo Mission in San Antonio. |
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Known as the Father of Texas, he led the first successful colonization effort of Texas. The Texas Empresario, his name is now a part of Texas history, with the state capital named in his honor. |
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Heroic figure during the battle for Texas Independence. She helped protect the state documents that were housed in the newly formed capitol city of Austin from thieves trying to return them to the city of Houston. |
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Commanded the Texian soldiers in their fight for Texas independence. He became Governor of Texas and helped The Republic of Texas become the 28th state in the United States. |
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The first African-American man to win the heavyweight boxing title. He was a pioneer in sports and spent his adult life fighting racism in and out of the boxing ring. |
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This African-American artist and educator is best known for his murals in Houston. Maya Angelou described Biggers work as historic that "...leads us through his expressions into the discovery of ourselves at our most intimate level." |
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Author and artist who is best known for the sweeping murals inspired by West Texas landscapes. His style was described as "the wonderful, ever changing light on the structure of the world." |
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The first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress from the South, the first woman to deliver a keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, and the first African-American woman to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery. |
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One of the first African-Americans elected to the Texas Legislature and a man who died trying to feed the hungry in Africa. |
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An award winning playwright and screenwriter who was known for the authentic characters he brought to life on stage and screen. |
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A pioneering journalist and author who explored Texas politics and politicians. |
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The first Anglo-American to author a book about Texas. |
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A gifted stage and screen actor who left his mark on Hollywood and Austin. |
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He was a pioneering folklorist who collected tales from Texas slaves and single-handedly preserved the African-American folklore from Texas. |
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He was the historian who wrote the definitive portrait of the life along the Texas-Mexico border during the Texas Revolution. His work influenced the way history views Texas' fight for independence. |
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Chief of the Comanche. In his life, Chief Parker managed to transition from legendary tribal leader and warrior to elegant statesman and diplomat. |
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He was an artist who created large paintings and murals depicting life in early Texas. His most famous work captured the iconic cattle drives that defined Texas ranching. He became known as the "dean of Texas artists." |
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He was a filmmaker who made his mark in the movies. His career included the highest grossing silent film of all time, The Big Parade, to other box office hits including The Fountain Head and The Wizard of Oz. |
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He was an author who love the outdoors. His most influential works were defined by the natural world of Texas. |
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They were two iconic collectors and curators of art. The Menil Collection remains true to their vision of art as a spiritual pursuit. |
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He was born a slave, but through education and hard work, became a civic and political force in the years following Reconstruction. |
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She was a pioneering and award winning author and poet. She said her stories were "true in the way a work of fiction should be true, created out of all the scattered particles of life." |
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He was an influential political and military figure in the Texas Revolution and in the early days of the Republic of Texas. |
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A folklorist and teacher who spent most of his life writing about the culture of the west. Many of his writings and books were about life in Texas. |
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She was a real person who lived a life that was portrayed and exaggerated in film. Belle was a fast-living, hard-driving woman who became known as the "Bandit Queen." |
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Chancellor of the University of Texas and world-class collector of books. The Ransom Center at UT is part of his legacy. |
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He commanded the Ranger Battalion on D-Day that scaled the 100-foot cliffs of Normandy. After the war, he came home to serve in many roles including president of Texas A&M University. |
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A folklorist whose love of music led to a life’s mission of collecting and recording folk songs performed in almost every state. |
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A novelist who penned many award winning books with western themes. One of those novels was turned into the 1952 big screen classic, Giant. |
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A controversial novel with an anonymous author marks the beginning of a diverse career as a novelist, folklorist and catcher of songs. |
