American colonizer and political leader who worked to make Texas a state of Mexico but later helped Texas settlers gain their independence (1836). the capital city of the state of Texas in the US. City (pop., 2000: 656,600), capital of Texas, U.S. It was founded in 1835 as the village of Waterloo on the Colorado River in southern central Texas. In 1839 it was made capital of the Republic of Texas and renamed to honour Stephen Austin; when Texas became a state in 1845, Austin remained its capital. As the home of the University of Texas, it has expanded as a research and development centre for defense and consumer industries. The Lyndon B. Johnson Library is on the university campus. Austin John Austin John Langshaw Austin Stephen Fuller Beard Charles Austin
born Nov. 27, 1874, near Knightstown, Ind., U.S. died Sept. 1, 1948, New Haven, Conn. U.S. historian. Beard taught at Columbia University (1904-17) and cofounded New York's New School for Social Research (1919). He is best known for iconoclastic studies of the development of U.S. political institutions, emphasizing the dynamics of socioeconomic conflict and change and analyzing motivational factors in the founding of institutions. His works include An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913), claiming that the Constitution was formulated to serve the economic interests of the founders; The Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy (1915); and, with his wife, Mary R. Beard (1876-1958), The Rise of American Civilization (1927)
born March 28, 1911, Lancaster, Lancashire, Eng. died Feb. 8, 1960, Oxford British philosopher. He taught at Oxford from 1945 until his death. He was a leading member of the "ordinary language," or "Oxford," movement of analytic philosophy, which was characterized by its belief that philosophical problems frequently arise through inattention to or misunderstandings of ordinary uses of language; accordingly, such problems can be resolved through consideration of the ordinary uses of the terms by which the relevant philosophical concepts are expressed. Ordinary-language analyses by Austin and his followers frequently took the form of asking "what one would say" in various concrete situations. Austin was also the inventor of speech act theory, through which he attempted to account for the various "performative" aspects of conveyed linguistic meaning. Several of his essays and lectures were published posthumously in Philosophical Papers (1961), Sense and Sensibilia (1962), and How to Do Things with Words (1962). See also analytic philosophy
born March 3, 1790, Creeting Mill, Suffolk, Eng. died Dec. 1859, Weybridge, Surrey British jurist. Although initially unsuccessful in his law practice (1818-25), his analytical mind and intellectual honesty impressed colleagues, and he was named the first professor of jurisprudence at University College, London (1826). Distinguished men attended his lectures, but he failed to attract students, and he resigned his chair in 1832. His writings, especially The Province of Jurisprudence Determined (1832), sought to distinguish law from morality. He also helped to define jurisprudence as the analysis of fundamental legal concepts, as distinct from the criticism of legal institutions, which he called the "science of legislation." His work, largely unrecognized in his lifetime, influenced later jurists, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr
born March 28, 1911, Lancaster, Lancashire, Eng. died Feb. 8, 1960, Oxford British philosopher. He taught at Oxford from 1945 until his death. He was a leading member of the "ordinary language," or "Oxford," movement of analytic philosophy, which was characterized by its belief that philosophical problems frequently arise through inattention to or misunderstandings of ordinary uses of language; accordingly, such problems can be resolved through consideration of the ordinary uses of the terms by which the relevant philosophical concepts are expressed. Ordinary-language analyses by Austin and his followers frequently took the form of asking "what one would say" in various concrete situations. Austin was also the inventor of speech act theory, through which he attempted to account for the various "performative" aspects of conveyed linguistic meaning. Several of his essays and lectures were published posthumously in Philosophical Papers (1961), Sense and Sensibilia (1962), and How to Do Things with Words (1962). See also analytic philosophy
born Nov. 3, 1793, Austinville, Va., U.S. died Dec. 27, 1836, Austin, Texas U.S. founder of the first legal colony of English-speaking people in Texas when it was still part of Mexico. He was raised in the Missouri Territory and served in its legislature (1814-19). The economic panic in 1819 led his father to conceive a plan to colonize Texas on land obtained from the Mexican government. Austin continued the project after his father died (1821) and founded a colony of several hundred families on the Brazos River in 1822. He maintained good relations with the Mexican government. He tried to induce the Mexican government to make Texas a separate state in the Mexican confederation; when this attempt failed, he recommended in 1833 the organization of a state without waiting for the consent of the Mexican congress, and he was imprisoned. Released in 1835, he traveled to the U.S. to secure help when the Texas revolution broke out in October of that year. He is considered one of the state's founders. The city of Austin is named for him
born Nov. 3, 1793, Austinville, Va., U.S. died Dec. 27, 1836, Austin, Texas U.S. founder of the first legal colony of English-speaking people in Texas when it was still part of Mexico. He was raised in the Missouri Territory and served in its legislature (1814-19). The economic panic in 1819 led his father to conceive a plan to colonize Texas on land obtained from the Mexican government. Austin continued the project after his father died (1821) and founded a colony of several hundred families on the Brazos River in 1822. He maintained good relations with the Mexican government. He tried to induce the Mexican government to make Texas a separate state in the Mexican confederation; when this attempt failed, he recommended in 1833 the organization of a state without waiting for the consent of the Mexican congress, and he was imprisoned. Released in 1835, he traveled to the U.S. to secure help when the Texas revolution broke out in October of that year. He is considered one of the state's founders. The city of Austin is named for him