José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara (August 20, 1774 – May 13, 1841) was an advocate and organizer of Mexican independence and the first constitutional governor of the state of

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, and a native of Revilla, today Ciudad Guerrero, Mexico.

Early life

, José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara, Celebrating Texas, retrieved December 9, 2017 Gutiérrez was obsessed with the idea of freeing Mexico from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and he began by recruiting and arming twenty-one men in

Spanish Texas Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. The term "interior provinces" first appeared in 1712, as an expression meaning "far away" provinces. It was only in 1776 that a lega ...

. Together with

José Menchaca José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, he spoke with the Indians and convinced them to fight with him against the Spanish.

Freedom fighter and rebel leader

After the suppression of an 1811 insurrection in

Nuevo Santander Nuevo Santander (New Santander) was a region of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, covering the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas and extending into modern-day southern Texas in the United States. A history of Texas, commissioned by the U.S. governm ...

, Gutiérrez, a strong supporter of the revolutionary movement, traveled to Washington, D.C. He can be viewed as the first Mexican diplomat in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, since on December 10, 1812, he went to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

to request support for the cause of Mexican independence. He was welcomed with much interest, but the U.S. government could not offer assistance without jeopardizing relations with Spain.

The Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition and aftermath

Nevertheless, he managed to raise a private force. In ''The Herald'', a newspaper out of

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...

, he published notice on August 31, 1812, of what he called the “Republicans of

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...

" to recruit volunteers. The troops under Gutiérrez de Lara's command consisted of only 450 men, many of whom were military adventurers from the United States. The force, known as the

Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition The Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition was an 1812–1813 joint filibustering expedition by Mexico and the United States against Spanish Texas during the early years of the Mexican War of Independence. Background In 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Cos ...

and commanded by men such as

Augustus Magee Augustus William Magee (also McGee); (1789 – February 6, 1813) was a U.S. Army lieutenant and later a military filibuster who led the Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition into Spanish Texas in 1812. Early life and military career Augustus Magee was bo ...

and

Samuel Kemper Samuel Kemper (died 1814) was an American adventurer and filibuster. Filibustering activities Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper was involved, along with his brothers Reuben and Nathan Kemper, in the 1804 rebellion against Spanish autho ...

, invaded Texas in 1812, taking possession of several cities and driving back the forces of

Manuel María de Salcedo Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga, (1776 in Málaga, Spain – executed, April 3, 1813), was a governor of Spanish Texas from 1808 until his execution in 1813. Salcedo gained leadership experience helping his father Juan Manuel de Salcedo, ...

and

Simón de Herrera Simón de Herrera y Leyva (1754–1813) was a lifelong political and military professional for Spain, primarily in the lands known as New Spain and at times ventured to Europe. He became an interim governor of Spanish Texas at San Antonio and ...

. In addition, he allowed these two governors and other officials to be executed by Antonio Delgado. On April 6, 1813, he declared the independence of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

from the kingdom of Spain, proclaimed its first constitution, and declared himself the first president of Texas. Warned of these developments,

José Joaquín de Arredondo José Joaquín de Arredondo y Mioño (also known as Jose Arredondo y Miono Pelegrin y Oceja) (1768–1837) was a 19th-century Spanish and Mexican soldier who served during the last two decades of Spanish rule in New Spain. He was military comman ...

, whose forces were quartered in the Valley del Maíz, marched to engage Gutiérrez, collecting men and material on the way through Nuevo Santander. Colonel

Ignacio Elizondo Francisco Ignacio Elizondo Villarreal, (born Salinas Valley, New Kingdom of León, New Spain, March 9, 1766 - died San Marcos, Texas, New Spain, c. September 12, 1813), was a royalist military officer during the Mexican war of independence aga ...

, sent in advance, allowed himself to be drawn into an engagement, and was totally routed. A few weeks later Arredondo himself defeated the insurgents, now under the command of

José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois (14 May 1779 in Havana – 16 April 1858 in Paris) was a politician and leader of a military force against Spanish rule in Texas. Álvarez de Toledo was the son of Luis Álvarez de Toledo y Liche, a navy capt ...

, who had replaced Gutiérrez. Many prisoners were executed, including all of the captured United States citizens, ending all hope of aid from the United States.''History of the North Mexican States and Texas'', Vol. II 1801-1889. (San Francisco: The History Company, 1889), Chapter 24 After the failure to create an independent Texas, Gutiérrez supported the Spanish general

Francisco Javier Mina Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

in his expedition of 1817 in support of the

Spanish Constitution of 1812 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constitut ...

, and later accompanied Mina in his expeditions in 1818 and 1819.

Politician

Agustín de Iturbide, forming a broad coalition under the

Plan de Iguala The Plan of Iguala, also known as The Plan of the Three Guarantees ("Plan Trigarante") or Act of Independence of North America, was a revolutionary proclamation promulgated on 24 February 1821, in the final stage of the Mexican War of Independenc ...

, recognized Bernardo Gutiérrez for his activities in support of Mexican independence. In 1824 he returned to Revilla, and one year later he was made the first constitutional

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Tamaulipas.

Later life and death

He moved to live in Linares, Nuevo León with his son José Ángel. He fell ill on a trip to

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

and died May 13, 1841. He was buried in the church at Santiago.

Legacy

An accredited Mexican Medical School, the José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara School of Medicine, was founded in his name in 2007.

References

Sources

* ''Gutiérrez de Lara: The Mexican Experience in Texas'' Rie Jarratt, (New York: Arno Press, 1976). * ''Green Flag Over Texas: A Story of the Last Years of Spain in Texas'' Julia Kathryn Garrett, (Austin: Pemberton Press, 1939). * ''Coahuila y Texas en la época colonial'' Vito Alessio Robles, (Mexico City: Editorial Cultura, 1938; 2d ed). {{DEFAULTSORT:Gutierrez de Lara, Bernardo Governors of Tamaulipas Colonial Mexico People from Tamaulipas 1841 deaths Year of birth unknown Mexican independence activists 1774 births