Jonathan L. Austin Explained

Jonathan Loring Austin
Office:2nd Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
Governor:Caleb Strong
Predecessor:John Avery, Jr.
Successor:William Tudor
Term Start:1806
Term End:1808
Office2:10th Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
Predecessor2:Thomas Harris
Successor2:John T. Apthorp
Term Start2:1811
Term End2:1812
Office3:Member of the
Massachusetts Senate
Birth Date:January 2, 1748[1]
Birth Place:Boston, Massachusetts
Death Place:Boston, Massachusetts
Alma Mater:Harvard College
1766.
Party:Democratic-Republican Party
Spouse:Hannah Ivers, (March 20, 1756 −1818) m. Boston April 4, 1782.
Children:James Treacothie Austin
Allegiance:United States of America
Branch:Continental Army
Rank:Major
Battles:American Revolution

Jonathan Loring Austin (January 2, 1748 – May 10, 1826) was an American revolutionary, diplomat and politician who served as the second Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth and the tenth Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts. He was the father of Massachusetts Attorney General James Treacothie Austin.[1]

Early life

Austin was born on January 2, 1748, in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1766.[1] After he graduated, Austin moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and became a merchant there.[1]

American Revolutionary War

When the war started Austin became a Major in Langdon's Regiment, and later an aid to General John Sullivan.[1]

Massachusetts Board of War

Austin was the secretary to the Massachusetts Board of War until October 1777,[1] when he was sent to Paris by Massachusetts to announce to Benjamin Franklin and his associates the news of John Burgoyne's surrender at the Battle of Saratoga.[2]

Diplomatic mission

Franklin soon afterwards sent him on a secret mission to England, where he met many members of the opposition and furnished them with much information concerning American affairs. The trip was full of incident, and, says one of Franklin's biographers (Morse), "brings to mind some of the Jacobite tales of Sir Walter Scott's novels." He carried dispatches to Congress from the United States Commissioners in Paris early in 1779, and in January 1780, was dispatched to Europe to secure loans for Massachusetts in Spain and Holland.

Capture and release

That same month Austin was captured by the British while on this mission.[1] He was later released. He failed to secure the loan and he returned in the autumn of 1781.[1]

Marriage

Austin married Hannah Ivers, the daughter of James and Hannah (Trecothick) Ivers, in Boston, on April 4, 1782.

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

Austin served as Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth for two years, from 1806 to 1808.[3]

Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts

Austin served as Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts from 1811 to 1812.[3]

References

Notes and References

  1. I. 120. 1888. Austin, Jonathan Loring.
  2. Austin, Jonathan Loring. x.
  3. Book: Who Was Who in American History - the Military. 1975. Marquis Who's Who. Chicago. 0837932017. 20.