David Crockett

David Crockett (1786–1836) was a frontiersman and U.S. representative, born near present-day Rogersville, Tennessee. He was a poor farmer but an excellent hunter and scout, and served under General Andrew Jackson in the Creek War (1813–14). He was a justice of the peace and a Tennessee legislator, and he served in the U.S. House of Representatives (Democrat, Tennessee, 1827–31; Whig, Tennessee, 1833–35). With little formal education, Crockett was not especially well-informed on public issues, and he was always ready to take a break from public service to go bear hunting. He made a celebrated tour of the major Northern cities in 1834 and, failing in his re-election effort that year, went to Texas to aid the Anglo-Americans in their struggle for independence. He was killed while defending the Alamo.