Miguel Francisco Barragán Andrade (8 March 1789 – 1 March 1836) was a Mexican soldier and politician who served as interim

president of Mexico The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the ...

in 1836. He had previously served as Governor of Veracruz, and gained national fame for the capture of the Fortress of

San Juan de Ulúa San Juan de Ulúa, also known as Castle of San Juan de Ulúa, is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico. Juan de Grijalva ...

in 1824, through which Spanish military presence was finally expelled from Mexico. He initially was a supporter of the federalist Constitution of 1824, but became a partisan of the conservative Escoses Party, who strongly critiqued the Constitution, and would eventually transform the

First Mexican Republic The First Mexican Republic, known also as the First Federal Republic ( es, Primera República Federal, link=no), was a federated republic, under the Constitution of 1824. It was a nation-state officially designated the United Mexican States ( e ...

into the Centralist Republic of Mexico, a transition in which Barragán played a military role. During the Centralist Republic, he was nominated by Antonio López de Santa Anna to hold presidential office while Santa Anna went off to fight insurrections against the new constitution, including the Texas Revolution, but Barragán's poor health led him to die in office. He was succeeded by his Minister of Justice,

José Justo Corro José Justo Corro Silva (c. 19 July 1794 – c. 18 December 1864) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman who was made president of Mexico on March 2, 1836, after the sudden death of President Miguel Barragán. During his administration, he over ...

Early life

Miguel Barragán was born in 1789, in the Valle del Maíz, San Luis Potosí. He attended school in the provincial capital and entered the military, and was as member of the Trigarantine Army upholding Agustin de Iturbide's Plan of Iguala. His opposition to the

First Mexican Empire The Mexican Empire ( es, Imperio Mexicano, ) was a constitutional monarchy, the first independent government of Mexico and the only former colony of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy after independence. It is one of the few modern-era ...

landed him in prison, but he was released when the Empire fell in 1823.

Governor of Veracruz

The

Provisional Government of Mexico The Supreme Executive Power ( es, link=no, Supremo Poder Ejecutivo) was the provisional government of Mexico that governed between the fall of the First Mexican Empire in April 1823 and the election of the first Mexican president, Guadalupe Victo ...

named him commandant-general of Veracruz in June 1824, and in September he was elected by the Veracruz legislature to be governor of the province. One of his first issues as governor was to deal with the remaining Spaniards in the Fortress of

and he succeeded in blockading it. He was a staunch supporter of the constitution, and when the State of Veracruz asked its civil servants to swear an oath to the new Constitution of 1824, he addressed the public assuring them that their rights and prosperity were now secured in the code they were about to swear an oath to, calling it ‘the dignified result of the patriotic efforts of our founding fathers.’ During his governorship, he passed notable regulations regarding the police, and he attended to his duties without losing focus on the ongoing situation with San Juan de Ulúa. His presence served to contain a revolution that broke out at Sacrificios. He received the American Minister Joel Poinsett, directing his authorities to attend to all his needs. He also received the minister of the Netherlands, Quartel, providing him funds to pay for his board. Meanwhile, Barragán had established communications with the Spanish commander at San Juan de Ulúa, Brigadier Coppinger, through an English intermediary, and on November 5, 1824, the Spanish finally agreed to surrender the Fortress of San Juan de Ulúa. Mexican officials were sent to the fort to further negotiate, and the capitulation was ratified on November 18. On November 23, the Mexican flag was raised over the fort. Barragán was awarded by the legislature of Veracruz with a ceremonial sword, and his troops. His name and that of the commanders who had played a key role in the capture of San Juan de Ulúa were inscribed in gold in the hall of sessions, and the term ‘heroic’ was added to the state of Veracruz. Barragán was received with celebrations in Jalapa, and the ayuntamiento of that town placed his portrait in the main hall, considering him to be the man who had finally completed Mexican independence. After the capture of San Juan de Ulúa, Barragán returned to his administrative duties as governor. He asked the Ayuntamientos for information about idle lands, with the object of setting them aside for colonization, and he published the British recognition of Mexican independence. He ordered the municipal administration to record all taxes that came from public lands and from bonds be recorded in one file for the sake of accountability.

Role in Revolts

Barragán would now be caught up in the fierce partisan conflicts between the Yorkino Party and the Escoses Party. President

Guadalupe Victoria Guadalupe Victoria (; 29 September 178621 March 1843), born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican general and political leader who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. ...

was a member of the Yorkino Party while Barragán belonged to the Escoses Party. The former notably advocated an expulsion of the remaining Spaniards from the country. When the federal government sent Ignacio Esteva as state commissioner, Barragán expelled him from the state, which was legally an act of sedition. Barragán was implicated in an Escoses pronunciamiento, asking for the abolition of

secret societies A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ...

and the expulsion of Poinsett. Colonel José Rincón rose up in Veracruz against governor Barragán. The federal government sent General Guerrero to

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of whi ...

where Barragán resided and succeeded in negotiating an agreement. Estava was placed as commissioner, and Barragán remained in the governorship, with Ignacio Mora in command of the military. He participated in the Plan of Montano, led by vice-president Nicolás Bravo. The insurrection failed, and Barragán was ironically imprisoned at San Juan de Ulúa, which he had captured shortly before, and then transported to the capital to be tried. He was tried together with Bravo, and their previous services to the nation contributed to the clemency that was shown by the court. In the end they were simply condemned to be banished, Barragán for six years. He was able to return to the country in 1829, due to an amnesty passed by President

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero (; baptized August 10, 1782 – February 14, 1831) was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as ...

Presidency

During the presidency of

Anastasio Bustamante Anastasio Bustamante y Oseguera (; 27 July 1780 – 6 February 1853) was a Mexican physician, general, and politician who served as president of Mexico three times. He participated in the Mexican War of Independence initially as a royalist bef ...

, Barragán was living in San Pedro, near

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

. He was a critic of the Bustamante government and proposed a junta of eighteen notable citizens who could reform the country, leading to Barragán being attacked in the official newspaper. He was named minister of war under the liberal administration of Valentín Gómez Farias, but he joined Santa Anna when the latter turned on Gómez Farías and overthrew him in April, 1834. The State of Jalisco opposed the overthrow of the government and Barragán was sent to gain their adherence along with General Quintanar. It was at this point, in January 1835, that Congress named Barragán as interim President in 1835. President Barragán had to deal with an insurrection in May, 1835, led by

Juan Álvarez Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado de Luna, generally known as Juan Álvarez, (27 January 1790 – 21 August 1867) was a general, long-time caudillo (regional leader) in southern Mexico, and president of Mexico for two months in 1855, following ...

in Texca, urging a return to the federal system. Petitions however came in from Orizaba, Toluca, and Jalapa urging rather to move away from the federal system and towards a centralized, unitary system of government. Another federalist insurrection in Zacatecas was pacified, and on October 23, 1835, the congress declared itself to be a constitutional congress. A new constitution was drafted by Francisco Sanchez Tagle and Lucas Alaman and was published throughout the nation at the end of the year. Barragán sought to raise funds for the war effort against rebellious Texas, towards which Santa Anna was headed, and he also had to deal with insurrections fighting for the reestablishment of the federal system, led by Jose Antonio Mejia. Another federalist insurrection broke out in Tampico in December, 1835, but a majority of the garrison remained loyal and commander Gomez was able to reestablish order. The following day three vessels bearing mercenaries that set out from New Orleans overpowered the fort of La Barra through the betrayal of Commander Ortega, but they were defeated. Barragán passed fierce measures to persecute army deserters and commanded that foreigners and arms being sent to aid the Texans, not be allowed to pass through any of the coastal states. His health, however began to swiftly decline. On his death bed, he was surrounded by friends, servants, and clergy. He died on March 1, 1836, shortly after kissing an icon of Christ, and was buried in the National Cathedral.

References

External links

Short biography at El Balero
(in Spanish). {{DEFAULTSORT:Barragan, Miguel Presidents of Mexico Mexican Secretaries of Defense Governors of Veracruz Mexican generals Mexican independence activists 1789 births 1836 deaths 19th-century Mexican military personnel 1830s in Mexico Deaths from typhus Infectious disease deaths in Mexico Politicians from San Luis Potosí 19th-century Mexican politicians