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Juan Seguin (1806-1890) |
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Born in Texas, like his father and grandfather, Juan Seguin's life spanned
both sides of the Rio Grande. He was one of the most well-known
figures of the Texas Revolution and the Republic of Texas. Seguin was
a defender of the Alamo and a hero at San Jacinto. Juan Seguin was born into a long-established tejano family in San Antonio where he became a harsh critic of General Santa Anna's centralization of authority in Mexico in the 1830's. His father was a strong political ally of Stephen F. Austin. In 1836, he was at the Alamo for the first part of the siege, and survived only because he was sent to gather reinforcements. In a ploy to turn Anglo Texans against him, a Mexican commander stated publicly that Seguin was a loyal Mexican subject, even though he was as serving as mayor of San Antonio at that time. Sadly, he was driven from Texas and forced to flee to Mexico. Seguin stood steadfast in the fight for freedom for all Texans. Juan Seguin died in Nuevo Laredo in 1890, just across the Rio Grande from the land and people whose independence he had spent his life serving. |