Miguel Barragán

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Miguel Barragán

In office January 28, 1835 – February 27, 1836
Preceded by	Antonio López de Santa Anna
Succeeded by	José Justo Corro

Born	March 8, 1789 Valle de Maíz, San Luis Potosí
Died	March 1, 1836 Mexico City
Political party	No Party
Spouse	Manuela Trebesto y Casasola

Miguel Barragán (March 8, 1789, Valle de Maíz, San Luis Potosí—March 1, 1836, Mexico City) was a Mexican general and a centralist (not federalist) politician. He served as Minister of War in the government of Antonio López de Santa Anna in 1833 and 1834, then as president of Mexico from January 28, 1835 to February 27, 1836.

1 The War of Independence and the First Empire
2 Republic of Mexico
3 President of Mexico
4 References
5 External links

[edit] The War of Independence and the First Empire

Barragán fought with the Ejército Trigarante in the war for Mexican independence, rising to the rank of brigadier general. After independence, he joined a conspiracy against Emperor Agustín de Iturbide with other ex-insurgents. They met in the house of Miguel Domínguez, ex-corregidor of Querétaro. The conspirators wrote to Pedro Celestino Negrete in Guadalajara, expecting support. Instead, he denounced the conspiracy to Iturbide. Seventeen people were arrested, including Guadalupe Victoria, Brigadier Nicolás Bravo and Barragán. Barragán was not freed until after the fall of the empire.

On June 20, 1824 he was named commanding general of Veracruz, which was under bombardment from the Spanish in the fort of San Juan de Ulúa, the only position the Spanish still held in Mexico. Barragán blockaded the fort with two small ships. The Spanish garrison was suffering from hunger and illness. The commander, Coppinger, surrendered on November 6, 1825, under a pact of 14 articles. The pact was ratified on November 18, and Barragán occupied Ulúa on that day. All of Mexico was now free of Spanish control. In recognition of the results, in 1828 Congress named Barragán political chief of the state of Veracruz.

[edit] Republic of Mexico

He was compromised in the 1827 Plan de Montaño, an armed uprising against President Guadalupe Victoria that aimed to prohibit secret meetings of the Yorkists and force the expulsion of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the diplomatic representative of the United States. Colonel José Rincón, under Barragán's command in Veracruz, denounced the conspirators. Barragán was arrested at the hacienda of Santa Anna and confined in the dungeons formerly used by the Inquisition. Generals Guadalupe Victoria and Vicente Guerrero intervened in his behalf, and he was sentenced only to temporary exile. He lived in Ecuador, Guatemala and the United States.

Called back to Mexico by Santa Anna, he was Minister of War from November 20, 1833 to February 13, 1834 in the governments of Santa Anna and Valentín Gómez Farías. (He was a political supporter of Santa Anna.) During this period Barragán and Quintanar were sent to suppress rebels in the state of Jalisco.

[edit] President of Mexico

On January 28, 1835 he replaced Santa Anna in the presidency, on a interim basis. He took measures to help widows and poor people, partly out of his own pocket. He also suppressed an anti-Santa Anna revolt in the current state of Guerrero. He served until February 27, 1836. On that day he resigned because of a grave illness. He died in the National Palace on March 1, 1836, a victim of a "putrid fever" (probably typhus). He was interred in the Cathedral of Mexico City and his name was inscribed in letters of gold in the chamber where Congress met. José Justo Corro succeeded him in office.

[edit] References

(Spanish) "Barragán, Miguel," Enciclopedia de México, v. 2. Mexico City, 1988.
(Spanish) García Puron, Manuel, México y sus gobernantes, v. 2. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
(Spanish) Orozco Linares, Fernando, Gobernantes de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985.