Horton Foote

Laurin Porter (University of Texas at Arlington)
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(Albert) Horton Foote, a fifth generation Texan, was born in Wharton, Texas in 1916, a descendent of two of the oldest and best-known families in the state. The parents of his maternal great-grandmother, Harriet Gautier Brooks, were among the first settlers of the Texas Gulf Coast and among the region's wealthiest families. His paternal great-great grandfather, for whom he is named, Albert Clinton Horton, fought in the Battles of Goliad and San Jacinto and later became Texas' first elected Lieutenant Governor. Unfortunately, both the Brooks and the Hortons were financially devastated by the Civil War. The playwright himself had an idyllic childhood as the first-born son of Albert Horton Foote, Sr. and Harriet Gautier Brooks and the grandson of Tom Brooks, who had risen from the poverty of…

2189 words

Citation: Porter, Laurin. "Horton Foote". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 June 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5986, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5986 Horton Foote 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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