Mirabeau B. Lamar was a brave Texas hero during the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 and the Mexican War of 1846. He was the first person to serve as vice president of the Republic of Texas and the second president, after Sam Houston.<BR>He is known as the Father of Texas Education, and a number of elementary and high schools across Texas are named Lamar in recognition of his early dedication to public schools. Lamar University in Beaumont is also named for him.<BR>Lamar also is called the Poet President of Texas because he wrote many poems throughout his life, beginning when he was a boy in Georgia.