Thomas Jefferson Rusk

Thomas Jefferson Rusk (December 5, 1803 – July 29, 1857) was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first secretary of war and as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide. He served as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1857.