Lawrence Sullivan Ross (1838–1898) was the 19th Governor of Texas, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. As a teenager, Ross attended Baylor University and Florence Wesleyan University. After graduation Ross became a Texas Ranger, and in 1860 led troops in the Battle of Pease River, where he rescued Cynthia Ann Parker, who had been captured by the Comanches as a child. When Texas joined the Confederacy, Ross joined the Confederate States Army. He participated in 135 battles and skirmishes and became one of the youngest Confederate generals. Following the Civil War, Ross briefly served as sheriff of McLennan County before resigning to participate in the 1875 Texas Constitutional Convention. With the exception of a two-year term as a state senator, Ross spent the next decade focused on his farm and ranch concerns. In 1887, he became the 19th governor of Texas. During his two terms, he oversaw the dedication of the new Texas State Capitol, resolved the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, and became the only Texas governor to call a special session to deal with a treasury surplus. Days after leaving office, Ross became president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. After his death, the Texas legislature created Sul Ross State University in his honor.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Sullivan_Ross

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1455:

Forces led by Richard, Duke of York and Richard, Earl of Warwick captured Lancastrian King Henry VI of England, beginning the Wars of the Roses with a Yorkist victory in the First Battle of St Albans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_St_Albans

1809:

War of the Fifth Coalition: Austrian forces under Archduke Charles prevented Napoleon I and his French troops from crossing the Danube near Vienna at the Battle of Aspern-Essling. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aspern-Essling

1826:

HMS Beagle departed on its first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic survey of the Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions of South America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Beagle

1960:

The Great Chilean Earthquake, measuring 9.5 Mw, devastated Valdivia, Chile, and generated destructive tsunamis that reached Hawaii the following day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake

1964:

During a speech at the University of Michigan, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the goals of his Great Society domestic social reforms to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Society

1980:

Pac-Man, an arcade game that became virtually synonymous with video games and an icon of 1980s popular culture, made its debut in Japan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

esoteric (adj): 1. Understood only by a chosen few or an enlightened inner circle.

2. Having to do with concepts that are highly theoretical and without obvious practical application.

3. Confidential; private http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/esoteric

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius. --Arthur Conan Doyle http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle