Timeline Description: Stephen F. Austin (born November 3, 1793) is known as the Father of Texas. Austin worked with the Mexican government to support immigration of Americans into Texas in the 19th century, eventually taking a group of 300 to live in Texas.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 3, 1793 | Stephen F. Austin Was Born Stephen Fuller Austin was born to Moses Austin and Mary Brown Austin. He was their second child, and their first living child. He was born in a mining region of Virginia, today modern-day Austinville. |
| June 8, 1798 | Moved to Missouri The family moved to Missouri when Austin was four years old, to a mining community in the Southeastern region, some 40 miles west of the Mississippi River. |
| 1810 | Graduated Transylvania University When he was around 10 years old, his family sent him back East to be educated, first at a boarding school and later at university. He initially practiced law after his graduation. |
| 1814 | Served in Missouri Legislature In the years after his graduation, he served on the Missouri legislature. In this role, he helped to secure a charter for the Bank of St. Louis in the Missouri Territory. |
| 1819 | Panic of 1819 The Panic of 1819 was a financial crisis in the United States. In the Panic of 1819, Austin lost his wealth, and was left with significantly less money than before. |
| 1820 | Arkansas Elections In 1820, Austin moved south to the Arkansas territory, buying land in the region that is now Little Rock. He ran for the territorial legislature, and entered a court battle over the land he had purchased when Little Rock was made the capitol. He lost the legal battle. |
| November 1820 | Moved to Louisiana After losing the legal battle for his land in Arkansas, Austin moved from Arkansas to Louisiana. |
| 1821 | Austin's Father Died Austin's father had been working on a plan and permissions to bring American immigrants into Texas. At the request of his mother, Austin continued his father's plan. |
| August 21, 1821 | Arrived in San Antonio Austin arrived in San Antonio to continue his father's work in August 1821. He successfully negotiated terms for the first immigrants to Texas, by then under Mexican control. |
| December 1821 | First U.S. Colonists Arrived The first group of 300 colonists reached Texas in December 1821. Each was given a large parcel of land, depending on their needs. |
| 1821 | Immigration Law Changes in Mexico(1821 to 1825) There were significant changes to immigration laws in Mexico over the course of several years. Austin was, even during times of greater restriction, able to negotiate improved terms for his colonists. |
| 1830 | Mexican Government Attempted to Stop Immigration In 1830, the Mexican government, fearing the rebellion of American colonists, acted to officially stop American immigration. |
| 1832 | Convention of 1832 In 1832, and again in 1833, American immigrants came together seeking independence from the Mexican government. They did so without Austin's support. |
| 1834 | Arrested by Mexican Authorities Austin was arrested by Mexican authorities. They believed he was supporting rebel activities, but this belief was untrue. He was eventually given amnesty and freed to leave. |
| August 1835 | Returned to Louisiana Austin, now free, returned to Louisiana. He was, at this time, prepared to remove himself from Texas politics. |
| August 4, 1836 | Ran for President of Texas Following the creation of the Republic of Texas, Austin ran for President of Texas. He was not elected, but briefly served as Secretary of State. |
| December 27, 1836 | Died Stephen Fuller Austin died of pneumonia on December 27, 1836, only a few months after he took office as Secretary of State. |