Sam Houston
Hero of the Texas Revolution, as well as a President, governor, and senator for Texas. He won the Battle of San Jacinto, capturing Santa Anna and supposedly winning Texas’ independence. As President, his primary goal was to gain annexation to the United States, even if that meant playing dangerous cat-and-mouse games with Texas’ enemies. He wound up disbanding almost his entire army and trying to sell off the Texas Navy. Ultimately, he was successful and has gone down in history as the greatest of Texan heroes. I disagree – he’s only the second-greatest.
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Hero of Mexican independence, President of Mexico on multiple occasions, and a clever general. He was repeatedly removed from office, yet always seemed to come back to power when the timing was right. He was an implacable enemy of Texas, and adamantly refused to consider letting any former Mexican states gain independence. I contend that he was actually far more devious and determined than most sources realize – he was in fact one of the most skillful politicians in the history of North America.