History
West Columbia Served as the First Capital of the Republic of Texas
The town of Columbia — present-day West Columbia in Brazoria County — was the seat of Texas's first elected government in 1836, where Sam Houston took the presidential oath and Stephen F. Austin died.
In 1836, shortly after Texas declared independence, Ad Interim President David G. Burnet chose Columbia as the republic's first capital. The town — now called West Columbia — had enough housing for lawmakers and had a printing press that published the Telegraph and Texas Register, a key newspaper of the time.
The First Congress of the Republic of Texas met in Columbia. On October 22, 1836, Sam Houston was sworn in as the first elected president. Mirabeau Lamar took the oath as vice president. The first elected Congress of the Republic of Texas convened there and began operating under the already-ratified constitution. Stephen F. Austin — often called the Father of Texas — served as the first secretary of state. He fell ill and died in Columbia on December 27, 1836.
Congress moved the capital to Houston in November 1836 because Columbia did not have room to house government workers. Historical markers across West Columbia mark the sites today. Learn more at tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/west-columbia-tx.
Source to confirm: TSHA Handbook — West Columbia, TX