![TownofHoustonHistory4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/TownofHoustonHistory4.JPG)
Augustus Chapman Allen (July 4, 1806 – January 11, 1864), along with his younger brother,
John Kirby Allen
John Kirby Allen (1810 – August 15, 1838), was a co-founder of the city of Houston and a former member of the Republic of Texas House of Representatives. He was born in Canaseraga Village, New York (the present day hamlet of Sullivan in the ...
, founded the City of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
in the U.S. state of Texas. He was born on July 4, 1806, in Canaseraga Village, New York (the present day hamlet of Sullivan in the Town of
Sullivan, New York
Sullivan is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 15,339 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General John Sullivan.
The Town of Sullivan is located in the northwestern corner of the county.
History ...
),
[
] to Sarah (Chapman) and Roland Allen.
Early years
Not long after turning 17, Augustus graduated from the
Polytechnic Institute
An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...
at
Chittenango, New York
Chittenango is a village located in Madison County, New York, United States. The village is in the southern part of the Town of Sullivan. The population was 5,081 at the 2010 census. Chittenango is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, author of ''T ...
, and started teaching mathematics there. In 1827, he changed careers and resigned his professorship. He then went to work as bookkeeper for the H. and H. Canfield Company, New York. After two years, he and his brother John bought an interest in the business. In the summer of 1832, the Allen brothers left Canfield to move to Texas, where they settled in
San Augustine. By June 1833, the brothers had moved to
Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...
.
In Texas
The Allen brothers arrived first in
Galveston, Texas
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
, and then moved to the small town of Saint Augustine. In 1833, Allen and his brother associated with a group of entrepreneurs in
Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...
and started operating as land speculators.
During the Texas Revolution
Instead of joining the army when the
Texas War of Independence started, Augustus and his brother engaged in the business of keeping supply channels open. At their own expense, they outfitted a ship, the ''
Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...
'', for the purpose of protecting the Texas coast and assisting troops and supplies from the United States to arrive safely in Texas.
Nevertheless, some members of the Texas provisional government objected to the Allen brothers' activities, and rumors indicated they were engaged in privateering. In January 1836, they sold the ''Brutus'' to the Texas Navy, and it became only the second ship in the fledgling naval force.
Augustus and John Allen continued to raise money and operate as receivers and dispensers of supplies and funds for the war effort without charge. In spite of the brothers' services, gossip and censure were aimed at the Allens because they were not in the armed services.
After the Revolution
![CharlotteAllen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/CharlotteAllen.jpg)
Financed by an inheritance received by Augustus' wife,
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
, on August 26, 1836, the Allen brothers purchased
6,600 acres (27 km2) along the
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving body of water which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately east through the Houston Ship ...
for $5,000, for the purpose of establishing a new city. At the suggestion of Charlotte, they named their townsite for the hero of the time,
General Sam Houston.
In the years after his brother John's death in 1838, the Allen family grew apart and squabbled about the family's various businesses and finances, which had been somewhat commingled. These family disputes eventually led to Allen's separation from his wife in 1850.
Later life and legacy
Soon, Allen's health began to fail, and he decided to leave Houston, signing over to his wife, whom he had never divorced, most of what remained of his many enterprises. Augustus Allen relocated to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to tend to his health and a new start in life.
In 1852, Augustus was appointed United States consul for the port of
Tehuantepec
Tehuantepec (, in full, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec) is a city and municipality in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The area was important in pre Hispanic period ...
on the Pacific Ocean, and in 1858 he was given the same position for the port of Minotitlán. These offices gave him control of the consular affairs of the United States for the entire
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec () is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as the Te ...
, a commercially important position.
Allen, in partnership with an Englishman named Welsh, developed an extensive private shipping business. He was never able to recover his health, however, and realized, in 1864, that he was critically ill. Augustus then closed his business and went to Washington, D.C., to resign his consulships. Soon after arriving there he contracted
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
, from which he would not recover.
Augustus Allen (58) died on Monday, January 11, 1864, in Washington, D.C., and was buried in the
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...
in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Several Houston landmarks, including
Allen Parkway
Allen Parkway is an arterial road west of Downtown Houston, Texas. It has a distance of approximately 2.3 miles (3.7 km), running from Interstate 45 west to Shepherd Drive, where it becomes Kirby Drive. Originally known as Buffalo Parkway, ...
and Allen Center, as well as
Allen's Landing
Allen's Landing is the officially recognized birthplace of the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. Located in Downtown Houston between the Main Street and Fannin Street viadu ...
Park, immortalize Augustus and his brother, the city's two founders.
''New York Times'' (New York, NY), Fri., 15 Jan 1864, p. 5, c. 3
''New York Herald'' (New York, NY), Fri., 15 Jan 1864, p. 8, c. 3
DIED - ALLEN - In Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 11, Augustus C. Allen. His friends are invited to attend his funeral, which will take place from the Church of the Transfiguration, 29th st., this day (Friday) 15th inst., at 10 A.M.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Augustus Chapman
1806 births
1864 deaths
American city founders
History of Houston
People from Houston
People from Sullivan, New York
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery