George Tyler Wood (March 12, 1795 – September 3, 1858) was an American military officer and politician who served as the second Governor of Texas. Background Most records dealing with Wood's personal life have been lost due to fire or other causes. As a result many details about his life are unknown. Wood was born near Cuthbert, Georgia on March 12, 1795. His mother was Elizabeth Burris Wood. His father, name unknown, died when he was five. When he was nineteen, Wood raised a company of volunteers for the Creek War and fought in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. According to tradition, Wood met Sam Houston and Edward Burleson during the campaign. Wood operated a successful dry goods business based in Cuthbert. During a buying trip in 1837 he met a young widow named Martha Evans Gindrat, daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Fitzpatrick) Evans, during a stop in Milledgeville, Georgia. The two married on September 18, 1837. The marriage produced two children in addition to the three Martha brought from her previous marriage. Beyond his business interests, Wood was a member of the Georgia General Assembly from 1837–38. Texas In 1839, Wood and his family moved to the Republic of Texas. After exploring the Brazos, Colorado and Trinity rivers, he selected a site near the present-day town of Point Blank in Liberty County (now in San Jacinto County). At this site he quickly built a prosperous plantation. Wood was elected to the Congress of the Republic of Texas in 1841, representing Liberty County in the House of Representatives. In 1845, during the annexation of Texas by the United States, he represented his home county during the convention which wrote the state constitution Wood was elected to the Texas Senate following Texas's admission to the United States. When the Mexican–American War began he resigned his senate seat and became Colonel of the Second Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers. During his service he was present for the capture of Monterrey. Governorship The 1847 decision of Governor James Pinckney Henderson to not seek another term left a wide open race for his replacement. A race dominated by five candidates developed with the key issue being how to deal with the public debt. About a month before the election one of the candidates, Isaac Van Zandt, died of yellow fever. Most of Van Zandt's support shifted to Wood. As a result he won the election