John Kirby Allen (1810 – August 15, 1838) was a co-founder of the city of

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 ...

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 Founders Memorial Cemetery, also known as Founders Memorial Park, is the oldest cemetery in Houston, Texas, United States. Founded in 1836, it was originally known as "City Cemetery", and opened in conjunction with the founding of the City of Ho ...

in Houston, Texas.

Early years

When he was seven years old, John took his first job as a hotel porter in a hotel in Orrville (present-day

DeWitt, New York DeWitt is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,074. The town is named after major Moses DeWitt, a judge and soldier. An eastern suburb of Syracuse, DeWitt also is the site of most o ...

). 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 a 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.

In Texas

The Allen brothers arrived first in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

and then moved to the small town of San Augustine. In 1833, John Allen and his brother associated with a group of entrepreneurs in Nacogdoches and started operating a business as land speculators.

During the Texas Revolution

Instead of joining the army when the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

started, John and his brother kept supply channels open. At their own expense, they outfitted a ship, the '' Brutus'', to protect the Texas coast and assist 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. Despite the brothers' services, gossip and censure were aimed at the Allens because they were not in the armed services.

In politics

On August 30, 1836, John Kirby Allen's candidacy for Representative of Nacogdoches County to the first Congress of the Republic of Texas was announced in the '' Telegraph and Texas Register''. He was elected in September, and officially began his term on October 3. There, he served on the president's staff with the rank of major. During this political service, John and his brother Augustus founded the city of Houston. He also continued to operate a shipping business during this time, along with his partner, James Pinckney Henderson. In Congress, John Allen successfully lobbied to have the newly founded city of Houston named the Republic's capital. This gave Houston the boost it needed to survive its first years of initial development. On April 13, 1838, Allen was elected to the board of directors of the Galveston City Company, which was a stock company chartered by the Republic of Texas to found the City of Galveston.

Legacy

Several Houston landmarks, including Allen Parkway, Allen Center, and Allen's Landing Park, immortalize the names of the city's founders. He is buried at

along with his mother and father as well as most of his siblings.Davis, Rod.
Houston's really good idea Bus tour celebrates communities that forged a city.
''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...

''. Sunday, August 3, 2003. Travel 1M. Retrieved on February 11, 2012.

References

External links

Founders Memorial Park
at The Political Graveyard

at Texas Heritage Society {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, John Kirby American city founders History of Houston 1810 births 1838 deaths Republic of Texas politicians 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas Politicians from Houston People from Sullivan, New York People from Onondaga County, New York