Edward Mandell House

(July 26, 1858 - March 28, 1938) Son of Houston businessman and Mayor Thomas W. House, was born in a two-story frame house at this site. He attended the Houston Academy and later continued his education in Virginia and at Cornell University.

E. M. House married Loulie Hunter in 1881, and they were the parents of two daughters. In 1885 the family moved to Austin, and House became involved in Democratic party politics. He was instrumental in the election of four Texas governors-- James S. Hogg, Charles A. Culberson, S. W. T. Lanham, and Joseph D. Sayers.

House gained national political prominence in 1912 when he was instrumental in the nomination of Woodrow Wilson for president. House became a trusted advisor to President Wilson, participating in foreign policy negotiations during and after World War I. He played a major part in drafting the Fourteen Points, Wilson's plan for ending the war, and was a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

House died in New York in 1838 and was buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery. Known as Colonel House for many years, he is remembered as one of the most politically influential people of Texas and the United States, although he never held elective office.