John Kirby Allen
| John Kirby Allen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Republic of Texas House of Representatives from Nacogdoches County | |
|
In office October 3, 1836 – June 13, 1837 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Jefferson Rusk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1810 Sullivan, New York |
| Died |
August 15, 1838 (aged 28) Houston, Texas |
| Resting place | Founders Memorial Cemetery |
| Nationality | Texian |
| Relations | Augustus Chapman Allen (brother) |
| Occupation | Businessman, entrepreneur |
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 Town of Sullivan, New York). He never married. He died of congestive fever on August 15, 1838, and was buried at Founders Memorial Cemetery in Houston.
When he was seven years old, John took his first job, as a bellboy in a hotel in Orrville (present day DeWitt, New York). Three years later, he started working as a clerk in a retail shop. At sixteen, he formed a partnership with a friend operating a hat store at Chittenango, New York, where his brother, Augustus Chapman Allen, was professor of mathematics. In 1827, John cashed in his interest in the hat store and followed his brother to New York City, where they were investors in H. and H. Canfield Company until 1832. The brothers then moved to Texas.
The Allen brothers arrived first in Galveston, Texas and then moved to the small town of Saint Augustine. In 1833, John Allen and his brother associated with a group of entrepreneurs in Nacogdoches and started operating a business as land speculators.
Instead of joining the army when the Texas Revolution started, John and his brother engaged in the business of keeping supply channels open. At their own expense they outfitted a ship, the Brutus, 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 there were rumors that 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 Texas navy. John and Augustus Chapman 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.
...
Wikipedia