Who is George Austen from Jane Austen's Letters and what is their importance?

George Austen was Jane's father. Born May 1, 1731, he was ordained in 1754, after which he received a BD from St. John's College in Oxford in 1760. George Austen was the rector of Steventon from 1761 until his death and Dean from 1773 until his death. He married Cassandra Leigh on April 26, 1764, and they had six sons and two daughters. George retired in to Bath in 1801, where he lived until his death.