Temple Houston: Lawyer with a Gun

A lively biography of Sam Houston’s illustrious son

The youngest son of General Sam Houston and Margaret Lea Houston, Temple Lea Houston lived his comparatively short life fast and hard. From 1881 to 1905, he was one of the Southwest’s most brilliant, eccentric, and widely known criminal lawyers. This is the story of Temple Houston’s decision to give up a political future in Texas, escape the shadow of his famous father, and seek fame and fortune in Oklahoma Territory.

In several high-profile cases, Houston earned fame as a silver-tongued defense attorney. His clients were murderers, cattle thieves, gunfighters, and prostitutes. The writer Edna Ferber later immortalized Houston by using him as the model for Yancey Cravat, the glittering hero of her novel Cimarron.

This carefully researched biography is enriched with lively narratives of the colorful events and characters that brightened territorial days. A vivid story colorfully told, Temple Houston is western Americana at its best.