After one year at Springfield Junior College, Houston transferred to Illinois State University, where he graduated with a B.S.

Following undergraduate school, Houston worked for Higbee's in Cleveland, Ohio, and then Cole National Corporation, where he ultimately became the general manager.

While visiting his family back in Springfield, during the Christmas season in 1970, he found an ad for a chain link fence business, up for sale, which he decided to purchase.

After serving in a leadership position within the local chamber of commerce, and being dissatisfied in the way city government was operating, especially insofar as economic development, Houston declared his candidacy for mayor, in 1978.

In 1986, Houston sought[1] and received the Republican nomination for Treasurer of Illinois, but lost the general election to Democrat Jerry Cosentino.

In 2005, Houston became the president and CEO of Town and Country Bank, and continues to serve as the chairman emeritus.

[8] On February 27, 2013, Governor Pat Quinn appointed Roger Clawson to succeed Houston on the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees.