George Washington Baines

George Washington Baines
3rd President of Baylor University
In office
July 1861  1862
Preceded byRufus Columbus Burleson
Succeeded byWilliam Carey Crane
Member of the
Arkansas House of Representatives
from Carroll County
In office
November 7, 1842  February 4, 1843
Personal details
Born(1809-12-29)December 29, 1809
Chowan County or Perquimans County, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 1882(1882-12-28) (aged 72)
Belton, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeOld Salado Graveyard, Salado, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Melissa Ann Butler
(m. 1840; died 1865)
    Cynthia W. Williams
    (m. 1865; died 1882)
    Children9, including Joseph
    RelativesLyndon B. Johnson (great-grandson)
    Alma materUniversity of Alabama
    Profession
    • Baptist preacher
    • journalist
    • politician
    Known forCo-founding Baylor University
    AwardsHonorary A.M. degree from Baylor University
    Scientific career
    FieldsNatural science
    InstitutionsBaylor University

    George Washington Baines (December 29, 1809 – December 28, 1882) was an American politician, Baptist preacher, journalist, slaveowner, and educator. He was a co-founder, professor of natural science, and the third president of Baylor University, while the university was located in Independence, Texas, during the American Civil War.

    He was the maternal great-grandfather of the 36th U.S. president, Lyndon B. Johnson. He was also the pastor and personal minister of Sam Houston while in Huntsville, Texas, and later bought a fourteen-year-old slave named Charles from him in 1862.