David Franklin Houston

Life & Legacy

David Franklin Houston (February 17, 1866 – September 2, 1940) was an American academic, businessman and conservative Democrat. Born in Monroe, North Carolina, he obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and his Master's from Harvard University. He was president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and University of Texas at Austin and later the chancellor of Washington University, where he established the School of Architecture (now part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts). He served under President Wilson as the 5th Secretary of Agriculture and the 48th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He later became the president of Bell Telephone Securities, a vice president at AT&T and president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York.