 William
Houston was the son of Sir Patrick Houston, a member of the council
under the royal government of Georgia. He was born in 1755 in
Savannah, GA. Houston received a liberal education, which included
legal training at Inner Temple in London. The War for Independence
cut short his training, and Houston returned home to Georgia. For
many years members of Houston's family had been high officials in
the colony. With the onset of war, many remained loyal to the crown,
but William, a zealous advocate of colonists' rights, was among the
first to counsel resistance to British aggression.
Houston represented Georgia in the Continental
Congress from 1783 through 1786. He was chosen as one of Georgia's
agents to settle a boundary dispute with South Carolina in 1785 and
was one of the original trustees of the University of Georgia at
Athens.
When the Constitutional Convention convened in
1787, Houston presented his credentials as one of Georgia's
delegates. He stayed for only a short time, from June 1 until about
July 23, but he was present during the debate on the representation
question. Houston split Georgia's vote on equal representation in
the Senate, voting "nay" against Abraham Baldwin's "aye."
Houston died in Savannah on March 17, 1813, and
was interred in St. Paul's Chapel, New York City. |
