John Austin Wharton (April 1806 – December 17, 1838) was a distinguished

Texian Texians were Anglo-American immigrants to Mexican Texas and, later, citizens of the Republic of Texas. Today, the term is used to identify early Anglo settlers of Texas, especially those who supported the Texas Revolution. Mexican settlers of tha ...

statesman, lawyer and a soldier. He served as Adjutant General at the

Battle of San Jacinto The Battle of San Jacinto (), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General A ...

. In a eulogy at his grave,

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

President David G. Burnet said of him, "The keenest blade on the field of San Jacinto is broken." He died as a bachelor on December 17, 1838, while serving as a member of the Texas Congress. His nephew, John A. Wharton, who would go on to be a

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

general, was named after him.

Early life

John Austin Wharton was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in April 1806. He became an orphan in 1816 and was raised along with his four siblings by his uncle Jesse Wharton who ensured that he received a classical education. His older brother, William H. Wharton preceded him in immigrating to colonial Texas in 1827. John Austin Wharton arrived in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

between 1829 and 1833.''Handbook of Texas Online''
/ref>

In Texas

Upon arrival in Texas, Wharton became an agitator for Texas Independence from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He participated in conventions and consultations which led to Texas declaring independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836. He also formed one of the first

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

lodges in Texas.

Hero of San Jacinto

Previously, in December 1835,

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

had appointed Wharton as Texas's agent in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to procure supplies for the coming conflict and was responsible for bringing the cannons known as the " Twin Sisters" to the Texian army. Wharton was later appointed Adjutant General on Houston's staff. Wharton fought bravely during the Battle of San Jacinto, where Mexican strongman

Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popula ...

was captured. Wharton was recognized by Texas' Secretary of War Thomas Rusk for his service. Wharton also served as Secretary of War of the nascent Republic of Texas in 1836.

After Texas' independence

Wharton was elected to the Texas Congress, which was meeting in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in 1836 and served until 1837, chairing the Education Committee. During this time, the Texas schooner ''Independence'' was busy transporting Texas diplomatic officials, when on April 17, 1837 she was captured by Mexican navy ships. On board was Wharton's brother, William H. Wharton, Texas Minister to the United States, who was imprisoned in Matamoros, Mexico. Wharton attempted to gain the release of his brother and other Texans captured, but he too was imprisoned when he arrived in Mexico. The Wharton brothers eventually escaped and returned to Texas. Wharton became ill and died on December 17, 1838. He is buried in Founders Memorial Park in Houston. At his funeral, the President of the Republic of Texas provided Wharton's eulogy. In it, he called Wharton, "the keenest blade of San Jacinto."

Memorials

Wharton County, Texas Wharton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 41,570. Its county seat is Wharton. The county was named for brothers William Harris Wharton and John Austin Wharton. Wharton Count ...

, is named for the Wharton brothers. * The Texan brig ''Wharton'' was named for John Austin Wharton.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wharton (1806-1838), John Austin 1806 births 1838 deaths Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Texas Consultation delegates Army of the Republic of Texas officers People of the Texas Revolution Republic of Texas politicians American Freemasons