Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836), early American leader of Texas. Born in Wythe County, Virginia, Austin grew up in the Missouri Territory and was a member (1814-19) of the territorial legislature. In 1822 he founded a settlement of migrant Americans on a tract of land purchased by his father between the Brazos and Colorado rivers in Texas (then part of Mexico). In 1833 a convention of Texas colonists delegated Austin to persuade Mexican authorities to grant them self-government. Unable to obtain prompt action from the Mexicans, he wrote to the Texans from Mexico City, advising them to set up their own government without waiting for official approval. For this act he was imprisoned by the Mexicans until 1835, when he returned to Texas and assumed command of the settlers' army. In the same year, he headed a Texas delegation to the U.S. government in Washington, D.C., where he succeeded in obtaining financial and military support for the republic of Texas. In 1836 he ran for the presidency of Texas but was defeated by Sam Houston. He thereafter served as secretary of state in Houston's cabinet until his death.
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Austin was a leader in the fight for Texan independence. Austin founded an English-speaking settlement in Spanish territory between the Brazos and Colorado rivers on land purchased by his father. Mexico, opposing the colonization, imprisoned Austin. After his release, he returned to Texas and worked for the annexation of Texas by the United States.
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