Austin, Stephen (1793–1836)
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Stephen Austin (1793–1836)
Stephen Austin’s father expected him to become a great man. In 1821, Austin set out to make his father’s dream come true. And he did. Today, Austin, the capitol of Texas, is named in honor of Stephen Austin.
Austin was 28 years old when he first went to Texas. He had had many jobs by then. He had worked in his father’s store in Missouri. Then he had worked in his father’s lead mining business. Later, he was a soldier, a state legislator, and a judge. Austin then became an empresario. An empresario had permission to settle colonists in Texas.
In those days, Texas was part of Mexico. Austin had permission to settle 300 families in Texas. They would get cheap land and a chance for a new life. Over time, Austin brought 900 families to his Texas colony.
Austin was the “boss” of the colony. First, he had to convince people to come to Texas. Then, he had to make sure everyone got the land they were promised. He also had to settle arguments among colonists.
Austin’s hardest job was working with the Mexican government. More and more Americans were settling in Texas. They wanted to have the same rights that they had enjoyed in the United States. Stephen Austin tried to convince Mexico to give Texans more independence. In 1833, he went to Mexico City to talk to government leaders. While on the way home, he was arrested and jailed for a year.
When he got back to Texas, Austin became a leader in the movement for independence. War began, but the Mexican army was soon defeated. In 1836, Texas became a nation, the Republic of Texas. Stephen Austin ran for president. “My object has been the general good and the permanent liberty and prosperity of Texas,” he said. He lost the election to Sam Houston and died a few months later. “The Father of Texas is no more!” Houston said. Later, when Texas became a part of the United States, Austin was remembered for his role in creating the new state.
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