John Alexander GREER

John Alexander Greer was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee July 4, 1802. His father, Thomas C. L. Greer, was a frontier
farmer, trader and trapper. He gave his son a good education. John moved to San Augustine County, Texas in February of
1837 with wife, Adeline Minerva Orton of Shelbyville. They had married May 18, 1836. John was elected representative
from San Augustine district to Second Congress of Texas. In 1840 he was chosen president pro tempore of the Senate. He
was three times reelected to both offices and served as presiding officer of the Senate for four terms. He was a trusted friend
of President Sam Houston.

Senator Greer was president of the Senate when the final scene of the Republic of Texas was enacted by the passage of the
Annexation Measure, April 29, 1846. For a short time in the fall of 1846 he served as secretary of the treasury to fill out the
unexpired term of William B. Ochiltree. In 1848 he was unanimously nominated for Lieutenant Governor, and was
overwhelming elected in the general election. He was reelected in 1850 and again in 1852 rounding out three official terms.
He served in various stations of the Masonic Lodge and in 1842 was made Grand Master of the Lodge for the Republic of
Texas.

In 1856 he was a candidate for governor of Texas, but became ill and died that year. He was buried in the "Old Redland
Burying Ground" near San Augustine, Texas.

Governor Sam Houston named Greer County, Texas in honor of J. A. Greer 1860.

Summary from A HISTORY OF OLD GREER COUNTY AND IT'S PIONEERS, page 94.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~swokla/greer/greer.html