1786-1836. US folk hero, born in Tennessee,
he became a Democratic Congressman 1827-31
and 1833-35. A series of books, of which he
may have been part-author, made him into a
mythical hero of the
frontier, but their Whig associations cost
him his office. He clashed with Andrew
Jackson, claiming Jackson had betrayed his
frontier constituency. In bitterness, he left
for Texas and died in the battle of the Alamo
during the war for Texan independence. (See
Mexican War).