Henderson King Yoakum (September 6, 1810 – November 30, 1856) was a Texas historian.
He was born in
Claiborne County, Tennessee
Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,043. Its county seat is Tazewell.
History
Claiborne County was established on October 29, 1801, created from Grainger and Hawkin ...
, and graduated from
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
in 1832. Yoakum served in the
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.
The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...
from 1839 to 1845 and strongly advocated for the annexation of Texas. Yoakum served as the director of the state penitentiary in
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas. The population was 45,941 as of the 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area. Huntsville is in the East Texas Piney Woods on Interstate 45 and home to ...
, beginning in 1849. As an attorney Yoakum drafted the charter for
Austin College
Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Sherman, Texas.
In 1846, Yoakum authored a two-volume work titled ''History of Texas from Its First Settlement in 1685 to Its Annexation to the United States in 1846.'' An 1805-1819 map of
Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. The term "interior provinces" first appeared in 1712, as an expression meaning "far away" provinces. It was only in 1776 that a lega ...
is found at the front of the text.
Yoakum County, Texas
Yoakum County is a county located in the far western portion of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,694. Its county seat is Plains. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1907. It is named for H ...