Two men were directly responsible for the bulk of Swedish immigration to Texas: Swen Magnus Swenson and Swante Palm. Swenson was the first to arrive in Texas, in 1838. Working his way up from peddler of mercantile goods to plantation owner, he was joined in 1844 by his uncle Swante Palm, a newspaper editor, court clerk, and secretary. The two men were overwhelmingly successful business partners as well as independent operators.

Swenson, establishing a mercantile business in Austin with Palm, became a land dealer. Buying land certificates and investing in the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway, he became one of the top landowners in the state. Swenson established the SMS Ranch and maintained a fleet of freight wagons to sell goods in West Texas. In Swenson's words, his wagons carried "boots and shoes, Hats, Hardware, Holloware, Earthenware, Woodware, Blacksmith's tools, Iron, Steel and Nails; a General Assortment of Groceries, Flour, Tobacco, Rice, etc.; whiskey, brandies, Holland gin, Rum, Sherry, Madeira, Port and Claret wine by the box or the barrel, oils, Paints, Window-Glass and Putty, Bagging and Bale Rope, Powder Shot and Lead; cooking stoves and office stoves, ploughs, hoes. . . ." Anything anyone would need...

Swenson remained neutral as the Civil War approached, an unusual accomplishment due to his ability to export cotton as an agent for the Swedish government, his investments, and friendship with Governors Sam Houston and Francis Lubbock. Even so, he joined Houston in an effort to counter Texas secession. Houston, whose ideas were rarely low-profile, planned an independent Texas army. Swenson, to be made a colonel for his efforts, was to provide troop supplies. Although plans failed, the activity was hardly considered neutral. By 1863 Swenson had left Texas in fear of his life. He lived thereafter in Monterrey, Mexico, Sweden, and New York without dissolving his Texas ties or investments. He regularly visited the state.

Swante Palm, in addition to joining his nephew in various business ventures, became a La Grange postmaster and diplomatic secretary to Thomas William Ward, United States consul in Panama.

Writing in favor of slavery, but not participating, Palm maintained a careful neutrality during the Civil War and was in an excellent political position during Reconstruction. He became a Travis County justice of the peace and a member of the Austin City Council. He was also an amateur scientist who turned professional. He served as meteorologist for the first Texas Geological and Agricultural Survey.

Appointed vice consul for Norway and Sweden in 1866, Palm worked continuously for Swedish immigration to Texas.

Palm built a private library during his life totaling over 12,000 volumes. Many he had read carefully, as shown by his marginalia in English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, German, and Latin. He donated his library to the University of Texas in 1897, a gift which increased university library holdings by 60 percent. As late as 1970, some of his volumes remained in use on the regular shelves of the library. His books are now in special collections