Edward Fontaine Biographical Sketch of Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar

Edward Fontaine (1814-1884) was a minister, an amateur naturalist, and the great-grandson of Patrick Henry. He was active in the Methodist Episcopal Church and was admitted to the ministry in 1838. He relinquished his ministry in 1840 and became private secretary to Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar from May to October 1841. He again served as minister and taught school sporadically for the next few years. In 1859, he moved to Mississippi and served in the Mississippi Army during the Civil War. He was a member of both the Maryland and New Orleans Academies of Science. He delivered speeches and wrote papers about his scientific interests. His lectures included “How the World was Peopled,” “Winds of the Gulf States,” and “A Lectures on the Peculiarities of the Physical Geography of the Mississippi River and its Delta.” He remained in Mississippi until his death in 1884.

Lamar served as President of the Republic of Texas from December 1838 until December 1841. Originally opposed to U.S. annexation, he planned a comprehensive system of education, and began successful negotiations for recognition by France, England, and Holland. Furthermore, he founded the city of Austin in 1840. He was, however, unable to solve the financial problems of Texas and he failed to gain Mexico’s recognition of the republic’s independence.