In this thorough and colorful study of the leaders of the Lone Star State, Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., holds up a Texas-sized magnifying glass to take a candid look at the lives and accomplishments of the now deceased forty-two men and one woman who held the office of governor, or president of the Republic. Each governor's administration, from Houston to Connally, is arranged within twelve historical periods, from the early days of colonization, revolution, and early statehood through the Great Depression, two world wars, and, finally, midcentury. The author includes contextual information about each period's major political, social, and economic influences.