Republic of Texas Legation Memorial Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DOGGETT. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which I authored, to authorize the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to establish this commemorative work here in the District of Columbia honoring the Republic of Texas Legation.

This is a bipartisan effort supported by a number of my colleagues from Texas, as well as Representative Holmes Norton, who represents the area where the memorial will reside. And it has the approval, initially, of the subcommittee which my colleague, Ms. Haaland, chairs.

The history of the Texas Legation and its significance to American history is as broad as the pride held by present-day Texans over a time when we were once an independent Republic. The district that I now represent includes the historic Alamo in San Antonio. With the battle cries of ``Remember the Alamo,'' and ``Remember Goliad,'' Texas won its independence on March 2, 1836. And as most Texans are aware, for almost a decade thereafter, Texas was a whole other country, an independent Nation with the same independent spirit that pervades our State today.

What are frequently less discussed are the diplomatic efforts stretching over almost a decade by this young new Nation, sending emissaries to Europe and to Washington. At multiple times from 1836 to 1845, the Texas Legation negotiated the terms by which Texas would become a part of the United States.

While everything is still bigger in Texas, the territory of the Republic of Texas, as a sovereign independent Nation, was much more than the current State of Texas. Indeed, it included parts of New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and even Wyoming. How different America would be today had not this huge part of the center of our country been incorporated into the United States.

The young Republic of Texas had many debts and many challenges from abroad. My own home in East Austin is only a few blocks away from the historic French Legation, this is the place that the diplomats from France used to establish their formal diplomatic relations with the Nation of Texas. Texans in turn established legations abroad to negotiate terms of trade and recognition with multiple European countries. Most importantly, the Texas delegation came here on the very difficult journey to Washington.

Today, we find the plaques about the work of the Texas Legation in London and Paris, but not yet here in Washington, where the Legation's effort had its most profound effect.

Here in this area the Legation operated from a number of houses, boarding houses, some near the present-day National Archives and the Navy Memorial, which is appropriate since one of the diplomats involved, Mr. Memucan Hunt, who also served as secretary of the fledgling Republic of Texas Navy.

In Washington, the diplomats left their most significant legacy by negotiating the terms of annexation in 1845 when Texas became the 28th State to join the Union. That is why this bill approves a commemoration here.

Most appropriately, this commemoration is spearheaded by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, our State's oldest patriotic women's organization committed to the preservation of Texas heritage and historic sites. They will work together with our National Park Service to develop and design a location here that is appropriate within Washington D.C.

Madam Speaker, I would like to extend a special thanks to Kitty Hoeck, she has led the way as the historian of the Elisabet Ney Chapter, that includes the Daughters in the District, Virginia, and Maryland, for her commitment to this effort. I ask that she be particularly recognized in connection with this work, along with other representatives of the Daughters.

The history of the Texas Legation did not end with the annexation of Texas in 1845. Today, it lives on in the strength of multicultural and multilingual communities across the Lone Star State. They have made our State so dynamic.

With this commemoration, those who visit our capital will have the opportunity to learn about a turning point in the history of Texas and in the history of the United States, and reflect on the sacrifices by the diplomats who made this possible.

Madam Speaker, I urge approval of the resolution, and thank both of my colleagues for their support.

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