Stephen Fuller Austin (1793-1836)
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Stephen Fuller Austin was born [[Nov 3]], 1793 in Wythe County, [[Virginia]] "at the lead mines in Southwestern Virginia", in what is now known as Austinville. He was the second child of Moses Austin (1767-1821) and Maria Brown, the first only lived one month. On [[Jun 8]], 1798 when he was four, his family moved to the land of the Louisiana Purchase and what would become later the Missouri frontier. His father Moses bought the site of Mine a Breton and had a lead-mining operation in Bellevue, in what was later [[Washington County, Missouri|Washington County]], [[Missouri]]. In 1813 Moses lobbied the territorial legislature to create the county of Washington, and to locate the county seat at the town of Potosi in Washington County, a town he had established. | Stephen Fuller Austin was born [[Nov 3]], 1793 in Wythe County, [[Virginia]] "at the lead mines in Southwestern Virginia", in what is now known as Austinville. He was the second child of Moses Austin (1767-1821) and Maria Brown, the first only lived one month. On [[Jun 8]], 1798 when he was four, his family moved to the land of the Louisiana Purchase and what would become later the Missouri frontier. His father Moses bought the site of Mine a Breton and had a lead-mining operation in Bellevue, in what was later [[Washington County, Missouri|Washington County]], [[Missouri]]. In 1813 Moses lobbied the territorial legislature to create the county of Washington, and to locate the county seat at the town of Potosi in Washington County, a town he had established. | ||
| − | When he was ten, his family sent Stephen to school at the Bacon Academy in Connecticut. He returned home, and then went to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky from where he graduated in 1810. Stephen served in the Missouri Territorial Legislature, from 1814 to 1819. He was appointed by the [[Arkansas]] Territorial Governor in 1820 as Judge of the Circuit Court serving Lawrence County. He only served at the | + | When he was ten, his family sent Stephen to school at the Bacon Academy in Connecticut. He returned home, and then went to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky from where he graduated in 1810. Stephen served in the Missouri Territorial Legislature, from 1814 to 1819. He was appointed by the [[Arkansas]] Territorial Governor in 1820 as Judge of the Circuit Court serving Lawrence County for a term of three years. He only evidently served at the first session, for in August of that same year he was in Natchitoches, [[Louisiana]] where he studied law. |
| − | The | + | The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1819|Economic Panic of 1819] led his father to embark on a scheme for the colonization of Texas, then part of Mexico. In 1821 Moses obtained a grant from the Mexican government, but died soon thereafter. It was his son Stephen who followed his father's idea and started a colony there in 1822 with several hundred families on the Brazos River. |
He attempted to get the Mexican government to make Texas a seperate state within Mexico. When this attempt failed, he advocated that Texas declare itself a seperate state without waiting for the approval of the Mexican congress. For this he was thrown into prison but released in 1835. | He attempted to get the Mexican government to make Texas a seperate state within Mexico. When this attempt failed, he advocated that Texas declare itself a seperate state without waiting for the approval of the Mexican congress. For this he was thrown into prison but released in 1835. | ||
