Erasmo Seguín
May 26, 1782–October 30, 1857
Erasmo Seguín lived through one of the most tumultuous periods of Texas history.
Born in 1782, Seguín entered public office in 1807 as postmaster of San Antonio, a position he held nearly continuously until 1835. During those years, Seguín established himself as a leading player in the political scene and held several prominent positions before and after Mexico gained independence from Spain, including as alcalde of San Antonio.
Believing that Anglo American settlers would help the region prosper, Seguín advocated in the Mexican congress for the colonization of Texas. He was instrumental in helping Stephen F. Austin carry out an empresario contract and became close friends with the Austin family.
Seguín was the only delegate from Texas at the Mexican congress that drafted the Constitution of 1824, where he fought for the interests of San Antonio and the Anglo settlers in the area.
Removed from office at the outset of the Texas Revolution, Seguín retreated to Casa Blanca, his ranch near present-day Floresville. During the Revolution, Casa Blanca became a source of provisions for the Texas army. Though Seguin was later reimbursed for the loss of stock and supplies, the ranch was significantly depleted, and Texan rustlers continued to steal his cattle into the forties. He spent his later years trying to restore his estate to its former glory and died there in 1857.
For More about Erasmo Seguín
The Portal to Texas History contains scans of three letters written by Erasmo Seguin to Stephen F. Austin in its online series Austin Papers: Series III, 1829. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission holds a number of other documents written by Seguin in its Republic Claims index.
The University of Texas at El Paso’s Center for History Teaching & Learning offers "Juan Seguín: A Teacher’s Guide" online.
Selected Bibliography
de la Teja, Jesús F. "Juan José María Erasmo de Jesús Seguín." Handbook of Texas Online.
de la Teja, Jesús F., ed. A Revolution Remembered: The Memoirs and Selected Correspondence of Juan N. Seguín. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2002.
Lozano, Ruben Rendon. Viva Tejas: the Story of the Tejanos, the Mexican-born Patriots of the Texas Revolution. San Antonio: Alamo Press, 1985 (1936).
Ramos, Raúl A. Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821-1861. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2010.
Tijerina, Andrés. Tejanos and Texas under the Mexican Flag, 1821–1836. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1994.
Torget, Andrew J. Seeds of Empire: Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800-1850. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2015.
Spanish Translation
Download the Spanish translation of this Texas Originals script.