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Valentin Gomez FariasMexican politician who served as President of Mexico five times. One of the most important Mexican political figures of his time.
Date of Birth: 14.02.1781
Country:  Mexico |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Political Career
- First Mexican Republic
- Presidency and Conservative Opposition
- Mexican-American War and the Aftermath
- Death and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Valentin Gómez Farías: A Mexican StatesmanValentin Gómez Farías was born on February 14, 1781, in Guadalajara, Mexico. His father, José Lujardo Gómez de la Vara, was a Spanish merchant, and his mother, María Josefa Martínez y Farías, was a Mexican.
Gómez Farías studied at the seminary in Guadalajara, where he became imbued with revolutionary ideas. He then studied medicine at the University of Guadalajara, graduating in 1807. After graduating, he taught in Aguascalientes.
Political Career
Mexican Independence and the Cadiz CortesIn 1812, Gómez Farías was elected deputy to the Cadiz Cortes, a Spanish parliament that drafted the Constitution of 1812. He returned to Mexico in 1821 and joined the Plan of Iguala, which called for Mexico's independence from Spain.
First Mexican Republic
Gómez Farías served as a deputy in the first constitutional congress of Mexico, which proclaimed Agustín I as emperor. After the fall of the empire in 1823, Gómez Farías helped establish the Mexican Republic and served as vice president under Guadalupe Victoria.
Presidency and Conservative Opposition
Gómez Farías was elected president of Mexico five times, serving briefly in 1833, 1834, 1846, and 1847. His policies, which aimed to reduce the power of the Catholic Church and the military, met with strong opposition from conservatives.
In 1834, General Antonio López de Santa Anna overthrew Gómez Farías in a coup, exiling him from the country. Gómez Farías returned in 1838 to join a revolt against Santa Anna, but the revolt failed, and he fled to the United States.
Mexican-American War and the Aftermath
In 1846, Gómez Farías returned to Mexico as the United States invaded. He was reappointed vice president under Santa Anna and became acting president when Santa Anna left to command the army. Gómez Farías's policies, including the confiscation of church property to fund the war, sparked a revolt in Mexico City. Santa Anna returned from the front and removed Gómez Farías from office.
Gómez Farías later served as a deputy in the Mexican Congress and opposed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ceded Texas, California, Utah, and Nevada to the United States.
Death and Legacy
Valentin Gómez Farías died on July 5, 1858, and was denied a Catholic burial. He was initially buried in the courtyard of his daughter's home in Mixcoac. In 1933, his remains were transferred to the Rotonda of Illustrious Persons, a monument to Mexican historical figures.
