Ed Burelson, who was as tough as he looks here, served as head of the People’s Army for a time during the Texan Revolution, and commanded the First Volunteers at San Jacinto, following the reorganization of the Texan Army. He served in a number of posts for the Texas Republic, capping his career as Vice President under Houston, although by all accounts, the two men loathed each other personally.

Three states were actually independent countries before joining the union, Texas, Hawaii, and for a couple of months, California.