Independent Yet Interconnected: Texas - U.S. History Spotlighted as Senate Passes Doggett Texas Legation Bill

***For Immediate Release***

Independent Yet Interconnected: Texas - U.S. History Spotlighted as Senate Passes Doggett Texas Legation Bill

Washington, D.C. – Last night, the U.S. Senate passed U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett's (D-TX) bipartisan Republic of Texas Legation Memorial Act (H.R. 3349) to pave the way for a commemoration of the Texas Legation in Washington, D.C., marking in our capital the chapter of Texas history when it was an independent nation. The House of Representatives passed Doggett's bill in September. Following Senate passage, assisted by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), the legislation heads to the President's desk to be signed into law this month.

"The history of the Texas Legation did not end with the annexation of Texas in 1845. Today, it lives on through the strength of the multicultural and multilingual communities that make our Lone Star State so dynamic," said Congressman Doggett. "With this commemoration, those who visit our Nation's capital will have the opportunity to learn about this turning point."

Congressman Doggett's bill will authorize the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to establish the Republic of Texas Legation Memorial as a commemorative work in the District of Columbia. The National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission approved the proposal in February, describing the effort as a "unique, untold story [that] would enrich and diversify the portfolio of commemorative works in Washington." It was then approved unanimously by the House Natural Resources Committee in March.

This fall, Rep. Doggett took to the House floor to speak about the legislation he authored. "The history of the Texas Legation and its significance to American history is as broad as the pride held by present-day Texans over the days of their once-independent Republic. The district I represent includes the historic Alamo in San Antonio," said Congressman Doggett. "With the battle cries of ‘Remember the Alamo,' and ‘Remember Goliad,' Texas eventually won its independence on March 2, 1836. And, as most Texans know, for almost a decade thereafter Texas was an independent nation—and that independent spirit of the State continues."

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"My own home in East Austin is only a few blocks from the historic French Legation, where diplomats resided when the nation of France maintained formal diplomatic relations with the nation of the Republic of Texas," he continued. "Texans in turn established legations abroad, which negotiated terms of trade and recognition with multiple European countries. Most importantly, a Texas delegation was sent on the very long and difficult journey from Texas to Washington, D.C. Today, we find plaques about the Texas Legation in London and Paris, but there is not yet one here in Washington, where the Legation's work had the most profound effect."

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