Abraham González de Hermosillo y Casavantes (June 7, 1864 – March 7, 1913) was the provisional and constitutional
governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the
Mexican state
A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of
Chihuahua during the early period of the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
. He was the political mentor of the
revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society.
Definition
The term—bot ...
Pancho Villa
Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
, whom he had met and befriended before the revolution.
Family
Abraham González de Hermosillo y Casavantes was born on his family's estates in
Basúchil, in
Guerrero Municipality,
Chihuahua.
[de Martinez, Irene Brandtner y Nava (2008) "Chihuahua Governor Abraham González, a Descendant of New Mexicans" ''La Herencia'' 58: p. 34] He was a member of one of the richest and best-educated families in the state (the González de Hermosillo family was believed to be descended from European nobility). He was educated at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
, in
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...
. His paternal line is from Teocaltiche, Jalisco, belonging to the González de Hermosillo y Gómez Rendón family with Y-DNA matches with other González de Hermosillo families of Jalisco.
As with
Francisco Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and Public figure, statesman, who served as the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in Ten Tragic ...
, the scion of one of the richest landowning families in Coahuila and also educated abroad, Abraham González had suffered under the favoritism of
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...
's political system. In Chihuahua, the dominant political clique was the
Creel-Terrazas family, which had vast land holdings and strong political connections to Díaz. González "was unable to hold out against the competition of the large haciendas, primarily those belonging to the Terrazas-Creel clan."
After Madero wrote his book, ''The Presidential Succession of 1910'' and the political movement of elites against Díaz's election grew, González became the head of the Anti-Re-electionist Club in Chihuahua.
Political career
González was one of the main leaders of the
Maderista Junta Revolucionaria Mexicana, the movement which opposed the re-election of dictator Porfirio Díaz in 1910.
González was president of the Benito Juárez Anti-Re-electionist Club and met with Francisco Madero in Chihuahua. At the time, Madero had not yet chosen his running mate, and when González asked who he preferred, Madero said
Francisco Vázquez Gómez. González declared for Vázquez Gómez. When Madero issued his
Plan de San Luis Potosí, calling for rebellion against Díaz after the fraudulent 1910 election, he counted on González, among others, to rise up.
During the early phases of the Revolution, González was appointed provisional governor of the State of Chihuahua in October 1910 by Francisco Madero. After the success of the Madero revolution in 1911, González was appointed interim governor in June 1911, pending elections. He was elected governor in his own right in August 1911.
In October 1911, González obtained a leave of absence, approved by the Chihuahua legislature, from the office of governor so that he could serve on Madero's cabinet in Mexico City. On November 6, 1911, he was sworn in as the Minister of Internal Affairs (Secretaría de Gobernación). As one of the Madero cabinet ministers who had served in the revolution against Díaz, González was a target of the conservative press. He served in this capacity until February 1912, when he returned to Chihuahua due to the seriousness of the
Pascual Orozco
Pascual Orozco Vázquez, Jr. (in contemporary documents, sometimes spelled "Oroszco") (28 January 1882 – 30 August 1915) was a Mexican revolutionary leader who rose up to support Francisco I. Madero in late 1910 to depose long-time presid ...
rebellion against Madero. He served as governor of the state until his arrest and murder by officials of the
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...
regime in March 1913.
Death
After the assassination of
President
President most commonly refers to:
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* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
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*'' Præsident ...
Francisco Madero and Vice-President
José María Pino Suárez during ''
La decena trágica'', González was forced to resign from his post as governor and arrested on February 25, 1913, on orders of General Antonio Rábago, a subordinate of
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...
. During González's incarceration he was held in the same complex in the
Federal Palace of Chihuahua that had housed
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican War ...
prior to his execution a century earlier, during the war for Mexico's independence.
On 7 March, he was taken aboard a train on the pretense of being transferred to
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. He was then removed from the train and murdered
in Bachimba Canyon, about south of
Chihuahua, on direct orders from Huerta,
who had been responsible for ordering the murders of Madero and Pino Suárez in order to assume power.
His nephew, Colonel Fernando González y González, along with
Pancho Villa
Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
, later recovered González's remains and gave him a hero's funeral in the city of Chihuahua.
He is buried in the Rotunda of Illustrious Chihuahuans under the Angel of Liberty monument in the Plaza Mayor in Chihuahua City.
References
Further reading
*Almada, Francisco R. ''La revolución en el estado de Chihuahua''. 2 vols., Mexico City: Talleres Gráficos de la Nación 1965.
*Almada, Francisco R. ''Vida, Proceso, y Muerte de Abraham González''. Mexico City: Talles Gráficos de la Nación 1967.
*Beezley, William H. ''Revolutionary Governor: Abraham González and the Mexican Revolution in Chihuahua, 1909-1913''. PhD dissertation, University of Nebraska 1968.
*Katz, Friedrich. ''The Secret War in Mexico''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1981.
*Osorio Zúñiga, Rubén, "Abraham González Casavantes" in ''Encyclopedia of Mexico'', vol. 1, pp. 606–607. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997.
External links
Conmemoran aniversario luctuoso de Abraham GonzálezTwo articles on his life.(Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Abraham
1864 births
1913 deaths
People murdered in 1913
Politicians from Chihuahua (state)
Governors of Chihuahua (state)
Mexican revolutionaries
People of the Mexican Revolution
University of Notre Dame alumni
Vice presidents of Mexico
Secretaries of the interior of Mexico
Deaths by firearm in Mexico
Assassinated Mexican politicians
Mexican democracy activists
People murdered in Mexico
20th-century Mexican politicians
Assassinated governors and heads of sub-national entities
20th-century governors
Politicians assassinated in the 1910s