Posted on Jun 21, 2019
Biography of Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico 11 Times
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On June 21, 1876, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico who dominated Mexican history in the first half of the 19th century, died at the age of 79. From the article:
"Biography of Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna against General Isidro de Barradas' Spanish troops in 1829, Mexico
DEA PICTURE LIBRARY / Getty Images
Updated May 30, 2019
Antonio López de Santa Anna (February 21, 1794–June 21, 1876) was a Mexican politician and military leader who was President of Mexico 11 times from 1833 to 1855. He was a disastrous president for Mexico, losing first Texas and then much of the current American West to the United States. Still, he was a charismatic leader, and, in general, the people of Mexico supported him, begging him to return to power time and again. He was by far the most important figure of his generation in Mexican history.
Fast Facts: Antonio López de Santa Anna
Known For: President of Mexico 11 times, defeated U.S. troops at the Alamo, lost much Mexican territory to the U.S.
Also Known As: Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, Santa Anna, The man who was Mexico, Napoleon of the West
Born: February 21, 1794 in Xalapa, Veracruz
Parents: Antonio Lafey de Santa Anna and Manuela Perez de Labron
Died: June 21, 1876 in Mexico City, Mexico
Published Works: "The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna"
Awards and Honors: Order of Charles III, Order of Guadalupe
Spouses: María Inés de la Paz García, María de los Dolores de Tosta
Children: María de Guadalupe, María del Carmen, Manuel, and Antonio López de Santa Anna y García. Recognized illegitimate children: Paula, María de la Merced, Petra, and José López de Santa Anna
Notable Quote: "As general-in-chief I fulfilled my duty by issuing the necessary orders for the vigilance of our camp, as a man I succumbed to an imperious necessity of nature for which I do not believe that a charge can be justly brought against any general, much less if such a rest is taken at the middle of the day, under a tree, and in the very camp itself."
Early Life
Santa Anna was born in Xalapa on February 21, 1794. His parents were Antonio Lafey de Santa Anna and Manuela Perez de Labron and he had a comfortable middle-class childhood. After some limited formal education, he worked for a short time as a merchant. He longed for a military career and his father procured an appointment for him at an early age in the Army of New Spain.
Early Military Career
Santa Anna quickly rose through the ranks, making colonel by the age of 26. He fought on the Spanish side in the Mexican War of Independence. When he recognized that it was a lost cause, he switched sides in 1821 with Agustín de Iturbide, who rewarded him with a promotion to general.
During the turbulent 1820s, Santa Anna supported and then turned on a succession of presidents, including Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero. He gained a reputation as a valuable if treacherous ally.
First Presidency
In 1829, Spain invaded, attempting to retake Mexico. Santa Anna played a key role in defeating them—his greatest (and perhaps only) military victory. Santa Anna first rose to the presidency in an 1833 election.
Ever the astute politician, he immediately turned over power to vice-president Valentín Gómez Farías and allowed him to make some reforms, including many aimed at the Catholic Church and the army. Santa Anna was waiting to see if the people would accept these reforms. When they did not, he stepped in and removed Gómez Farías from power.
Texas Independence
Texas, using the chaos in Mexico as a pretext, declared independence in 1836. Santa Anna himself marched on the rebellious state with a massive army. The invasion was conducted poorly. Santa Anna ordered crops burned, prisoners shot, and livestock killed, alienating many Texans who might have supported him.
After he defeated the rebels at the Battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna unwisely divided his forces, allowing Sam Houston to surprise him at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured and forced to negotiate with the Mexican government for recognition of Texas' independence and to sign papers saying he recognized the Republic of Texas.
The Pastry War and Return to Power
Santa Anna returned to Mexico in disgrace and retired to his hacienda. Soon there came another opportunity to seize the stage. In 1838 France invaded Mexico in order to make them pay some outstanding debts. This conflict is known as the Pastry War. Santa Anna rounded up some men and rushed to battle.
Although he and his men were soundly defeated and he lost his leg in the fighting, Santa Anna was seen as a hero by the Mexican people. He would later order his leg buried with full military honors. The French took the port of Veracruz and negotiated a settlement with the Mexican government.
War With the United States
In the early 1840s, Santa Anna was in and out of power frequently. He was inept enough to be regularly driven out of power but charming enough to always find his way back in.
In 1846, war broke out between Mexico and the United States. Santa Anna, in exile at the time, persuaded the Americans to allow him back into Mexico to negotiate a peace. Once there, he assumed command of the Mexican army and fought the invaders.
American military strength (and Santa Anna's tactical incompetence) carried the day and Mexico was defeated. Mexico lost much of the American West in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war.
Final Presidency
Santa Anna went into exile again but was invited back by conservatives in 1853. He ruled as president for two more years. He sold some lands along the border to the United States (known as the Gadsden Purchase) in 1854 to help pay some debts. This infuriated many Mexicans, who turned on him once again.
Santa Anna was driven from power for good in 1855 and went once again into exile. He was tried for treason in absentia, and all of his estates and wealth were confiscated.
Schemes and Plots
For the next decade or so, Santa Anna schemed at getting back into power. He attempted to hatch an invasion with mercenaries.
He negotiated with the French and Emperor Maximilian in a bid to come back and join Maximilian's court but was arrested and sent back into exile. During this time he lived in different countries, including the United States, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
Death
Santa Anna finally was given an amnesty in 1874 and returned to Mexico. He was then about 80 years old and had given up any hope of returning to power. He died on June 21, 1876 in Mexico City.
Legacy
Santa Anna was a larger-than-life character and inept dictator. He was president officially six times, and unofficially five more.
His personal charisma was astounding, on a par with other Latin American leaders such as Fidel Castro or Juan Domingo Perón. The people of Mexico supported him multiple times, but he kept letting them down, losing wars and lining his own pockets with public funds time and again.
Like all people, Santa Anna had his strengths and weaknesses. He was an able military leader in some respects. He could very quickly raise an army and have it marching, and his men seemed to never give up on him.
He was a strong leader who always came when his country asked him to (and sometimes when they didn't ask him to). He was decisive and had some crafty political skills, often playing liberals and conservatives off against one another to build a compromise.
But Santa Anna's weaknesses tended to overwhelm his strengths. His legendary treacheries kept him always on the winning side but caused people to mistrust him.
Although he could always raise an army quickly, he was a disastrous leader in battles, winning only against a Spanish force at Tampico that was ravaged by yellow fever and later at the famous Battle of the Alamo, where his casualties were three times higher than those of the outnumbered Texans. His ineptitude was a factor in the loss of vast tracts of land to the United States and many Mexicans never forgave him for it.
He had serious personal defects, including a gambling problem and a legendary ego. During his final presidency, he named himself dictator for life and made people refer to him as "most serene highness."
He defended his status as a despotic dictator. "A hundred years to come my people will not be fit for liberty," he famously said. To Santa Anna, Mexico's unwashed masses could not handle self-government and needed a firm hand in control—preferably his.
Santa Anna left a mixed legacy to Mexico. He provided a certain degree of stability during a chaotic time and despite his legendary corruption and incompetence, his dedication to Mexico (especially in his later years) is rarely questioned. Still, many modern Mexicans revile him for the loss of so much territory to the United States."
"Biography of Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna against General Isidro de Barradas' Spanish troops in 1829, Mexico
DEA PICTURE LIBRARY / Getty Images
Updated May 30, 2019
Antonio López de Santa Anna (February 21, 1794–June 21, 1876) was a Mexican politician and military leader who was President of Mexico 11 times from 1833 to 1855. He was a disastrous president for Mexico, losing first Texas and then much of the current American West to the United States. Still, he was a charismatic leader, and, in general, the people of Mexico supported him, begging him to return to power time and again. He was by far the most important figure of his generation in Mexican history.
Fast Facts: Antonio López de Santa Anna
Known For: President of Mexico 11 times, defeated U.S. troops at the Alamo, lost much Mexican territory to the U.S.
Also Known As: Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, Santa Anna, The man who was Mexico, Napoleon of the West
Born: February 21, 1794 in Xalapa, Veracruz
Parents: Antonio Lafey de Santa Anna and Manuela Perez de Labron
Died: June 21, 1876 in Mexico City, Mexico
Published Works: "The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna"
Awards and Honors: Order of Charles III, Order of Guadalupe
Spouses: María Inés de la Paz García, María de los Dolores de Tosta
Children: María de Guadalupe, María del Carmen, Manuel, and Antonio López de Santa Anna y García. Recognized illegitimate children: Paula, María de la Merced, Petra, and José López de Santa Anna
Notable Quote: "As general-in-chief I fulfilled my duty by issuing the necessary orders for the vigilance of our camp, as a man I succumbed to an imperious necessity of nature for which I do not believe that a charge can be justly brought against any general, much less if such a rest is taken at the middle of the day, under a tree, and in the very camp itself."
Early Life
Santa Anna was born in Xalapa on February 21, 1794. His parents were Antonio Lafey de Santa Anna and Manuela Perez de Labron and he had a comfortable middle-class childhood. After some limited formal education, he worked for a short time as a merchant. He longed for a military career and his father procured an appointment for him at an early age in the Army of New Spain.
Early Military Career
Santa Anna quickly rose through the ranks, making colonel by the age of 26. He fought on the Spanish side in the Mexican War of Independence. When he recognized that it was a lost cause, he switched sides in 1821 with Agustín de Iturbide, who rewarded him with a promotion to general.
During the turbulent 1820s, Santa Anna supported and then turned on a succession of presidents, including Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero. He gained a reputation as a valuable if treacherous ally.
First Presidency
In 1829, Spain invaded, attempting to retake Mexico. Santa Anna played a key role in defeating them—his greatest (and perhaps only) military victory. Santa Anna first rose to the presidency in an 1833 election.
Ever the astute politician, he immediately turned over power to vice-president Valentín Gómez Farías and allowed him to make some reforms, including many aimed at the Catholic Church and the army. Santa Anna was waiting to see if the people would accept these reforms. When they did not, he stepped in and removed Gómez Farías from power.
Texas Independence
Texas, using the chaos in Mexico as a pretext, declared independence in 1836. Santa Anna himself marched on the rebellious state with a massive army. The invasion was conducted poorly. Santa Anna ordered crops burned, prisoners shot, and livestock killed, alienating many Texans who might have supported him.
After he defeated the rebels at the Battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna unwisely divided his forces, allowing Sam Houston to surprise him at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured and forced to negotiate with the Mexican government for recognition of Texas' independence and to sign papers saying he recognized the Republic of Texas.
The Pastry War and Return to Power
Santa Anna returned to Mexico in disgrace and retired to his hacienda. Soon there came another opportunity to seize the stage. In 1838 France invaded Mexico in order to make them pay some outstanding debts. This conflict is known as the Pastry War. Santa Anna rounded up some men and rushed to battle.
Although he and his men were soundly defeated and he lost his leg in the fighting, Santa Anna was seen as a hero by the Mexican people. He would later order his leg buried with full military honors. The French took the port of Veracruz and negotiated a settlement with the Mexican government.
War With the United States
In the early 1840s, Santa Anna was in and out of power frequently. He was inept enough to be regularly driven out of power but charming enough to always find his way back in.
In 1846, war broke out between Mexico and the United States. Santa Anna, in exile at the time, persuaded the Americans to allow him back into Mexico to negotiate a peace. Once there, he assumed command of the Mexican army and fought the invaders.
American military strength (and Santa Anna's tactical incompetence) carried the day and Mexico was defeated. Mexico lost much of the American West in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war.
Final Presidency
Santa Anna went into exile again but was invited back by conservatives in 1853. He ruled as president for two more years. He sold some lands along the border to the United States (known as the Gadsden Purchase) in 1854 to help pay some debts. This infuriated many Mexicans, who turned on him once again.
Santa Anna was driven from power for good in 1855 and went once again into exile. He was tried for treason in absentia, and all of his estates and wealth were confiscated.
Schemes and Plots
For the next decade or so, Santa Anna schemed at getting back into power. He attempted to hatch an invasion with mercenaries.
He negotiated with the French and Emperor Maximilian in a bid to come back and join Maximilian's court but was arrested and sent back into exile. During this time he lived in different countries, including the United States, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
Death
Santa Anna finally was given an amnesty in 1874 and returned to Mexico. He was then about 80 years old and had given up any hope of returning to power. He died on June 21, 1876 in Mexico City.
Legacy
Santa Anna was a larger-than-life character and inept dictator. He was president officially six times, and unofficially five more.
His personal charisma was astounding, on a par with other Latin American leaders such as Fidel Castro or Juan Domingo Perón. The people of Mexico supported him multiple times, but he kept letting them down, losing wars and lining his own pockets with public funds time and again.
Like all people, Santa Anna had his strengths and weaknesses. He was an able military leader in some respects. He could very quickly raise an army and have it marching, and his men seemed to never give up on him.
He was a strong leader who always came when his country asked him to (and sometimes when they didn't ask him to). He was decisive and had some crafty political skills, often playing liberals and conservatives off against one another to build a compromise.
But Santa Anna's weaknesses tended to overwhelm his strengths. His legendary treacheries kept him always on the winning side but caused people to mistrust him.
Although he could always raise an army quickly, he was a disastrous leader in battles, winning only against a Spanish force at Tampico that was ravaged by yellow fever and later at the famous Battle of the Alamo, where his casualties were three times higher than those of the outnumbered Texans. His ineptitude was a factor in the loss of vast tracts of land to the United States and many Mexicans never forgave him for it.
He had serious personal defects, including a gambling problem and a legendary ego. During his final presidency, he named himself dictator for life and made people refer to him as "most serene highness."
He defended his status as a despotic dictator. "A hundred years to come my people will not be fit for liberty," he famously said. To Santa Anna, Mexico's unwashed masses could not handle self-government and needed a firm hand in control—preferably his.
Santa Anna left a mixed legacy to Mexico. He provided a certain degree of stability during a chaotic time and despite his legendary corruption and incompetence, his dedication to Mexico (especially in his later years) is rarely questioned. Still, many modern Mexicans revile him for the loss of so much territory to the United States."
Biography of Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico 11 Times
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Presidency of Santa Anna and foreign interventions. 54. Fernanda, Alejandra, Paulina. References: • Anonimus (2001) Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Guia de San ...
Thank you, my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on June 21, 1876 President of Mexico Antonio López de Santa Anna died at the age of 79.
"Presidency of Santa Anna and foreign interventions."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CroP7xEXXw
Images:
1. Portrait of Antonio López de Santa Annafrom The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution. Image courtesy of the San Jacinto Museum of History. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
2. 1847 painting of April 1847 Battle of Cerro Gordo by Carl Nebel
3. Map of Santa Anna's march into Texas during the Texas Revolution. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
4. 1876 tombstone of Antonio López de Santa Anna
Background from tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsa29
SANTA ANNA, ANTONIO LÓPEZ DE (1794–1876). Antonio López de Santa Anna Pérez de Lebrón, soldier and five-time president of Mexico, was born at Jalapa, Vera Cruz, on February 21, 1794, the son of Antonio López de Santa Anna and Manuela Pérez de Lebrón. His family belonged to the criollo middle class, and his father served at one time as a subdelegate for the Spanish province of Vera Cruz. After a limited schooling the young Santa Anna worked for a merchant of Vera Cruz. In June 1810 he was appointed a cadet in the Fijo de Vera Cruz infantry regiment under the command of Joaquín de Arredondo. He spent the next five years battling insurgents and policing the Indian tribes of the Provincias Internas. Like most criollo officers in the Royalist army, he remained loyal to Spain for a number of years and fought against the movement for Mexican independence. He received his first wound, an Indian arrow in his left arm or hand, in 1811. In 1813 he served in Texas against the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition, and at the battle of Medina he was cited for bravery. In the aftermath of the rebellion the young officer witnessed Arredondo's fierce counterinsurgency policy of mass executions, and historians have speculated that Santa Anna modeled his policy and conduct in the Texas Revolution on his experience under Arredondo. He once again served under Arrendondo against the filibustering expedition of Francisco Xavier Mina in 1817. The young officer spent the next several years in building Indian villages and in occasional campaigns, while he acquired debts, some property, and promotions. In 1820 he was promoted to brevet captain, and he became a brevet lieutenant colonel the following year. In March of 1821 he made the first of the dramatic shifts of allegiance that characterized his military and political career by joining the rebel forces under Agustín de Iturbide in the middle of a campaign against them. He campaigned for Iturbide for a time and was promoted to brigadier general. In December 1822 Santa Anna broke with Iturbide over a series of personal grievances, and he called for a republic in his Plan of Casa Mata in December 1822.
Portrait of Samuel Houston. Image courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
After serving as military governor of Yucatán, Santa Anna retired to civil life and became governor of Vera Cruz. In 1829 he defeated the Spanish invasion at Tampico and emerged from the campaign as a national hero. In the course of this campaign, he demonstrated several of his characteristic military strengths and weaknesses; he was able to pull an army together quickly and with severely limited resources, but he also combined elaborate planning with slipshod and faulty execution. He rebelled against the administration three years later and was elected president of Mexico as a liberal in 1833, but in 1834 he stated that Mexico was not ready for democracy and emerged as an autocratic Centralist. When the liberals of Zacatecas defied his authority and an attempt to reduce their militia in 1835, Santa Anna moved to crush them and followed up his battlefield victory with a harsh campaign of repression. In December 1835 he arrived at San Luis Potosí to organize an army to crush the rebellion in Texas. In 1836 he marched north with his forces to play his controversial role in the Texas Revolution. After his capture by Sam Houston's army, he was sent to Washington, D.C., whence he returned to Mexico. He retired to his estates at Manga de Clavo for a time, then emerged to join the defense of Mexico against the French in December 1838 during the so-called "Pastry War." He lost a leg in battle and regained his popularity. He was acting president in 1839, helped overthrow the government of Anastasio Bustamante in 1841, and was dictator from 1841 to 1845. Excesses led to his overthrow and exile to Havana.
At the beginning of the Mexican War, Santa Anna entered into negotiations with President James K. Polk. He offered the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the United States and was permitted to enter Mexico through the American blockade. Once in the country he rallied resistance to the foreign invaders. As commanding officer in the northern campaign he lost the battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, returned to Mexico City, reorganized the demoralized government, and turned east to be defeated by Winfield S. Scott's forces at Cerro Gordo. Secret negotiations with Scott failed, and when Mexico City was captured, Santa Anna retired to exile. In 1853 he was recalled by the Centralists, but again power turned his head. To help meet expenses he sold the Mesilla Valley to the United States as the Gadsden Purchase and was overthrown and banished by the liberals in 1855.
For eleven years he schemed to return to Mexico, conniving with the French and with Maximilian. After a visit from the American secretary of state, W. H. Seward, he invested most of his property in a vessel that he sailed to New York to become the nucleus of a planned invading force from the United States. Disappointed in his efforts, he proceeded towards Mexico, was arrested on the coast, and returned to exile. From 1867 to 1874 he lived in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Nassau. During this time he finally abandoned politics and wrote his memoirs. In 1874 he was allowed to return to Mexico City, where he lived in obscurity until his death on June 21, 1876. He was buried at Tepeyac Cemetery, near Guadalupe Hidalgo. Santa Anna was married twice, to Inés García in 1825, and, a few months after the death of his first wife in 1844, to María Dolores de Tosta, who survived him.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Wilfred Hardy Callcott, Santa Anna (Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1964). Oakah L. Jones, Santa Anna (New York: Twayne, 1968). Jeff Long, Duel of Eagles: The Mexican and U.S. Fight for the Alamo (New York: Morrow, 1990). Antonio López de Santa Anna, The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna, ed. Ann Fears Crawford (Austin: State House Press, 1988). Antonio López de Santa Anna et al., The Mexican Side of the Texan Revolution, trans. Carlos E. Castañeda (Dallas: Turner, 1928; 2d ed., Austin: Graphic Ideas, 1970)."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" PriceMaj Robert Thornton SPC Douglas Bolton Cynthia Croft SSgt Boyd Herrst SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSG William Jones PO3 Craig Phillips SP5 Jeannie Carle SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
"Presidency of Santa Anna and foreign interventions."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CroP7xEXXw
Images:
1. Portrait of Antonio López de Santa Annafrom The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution. Image courtesy of the San Jacinto Museum of History. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
2. 1847 painting of April 1847 Battle of Cerro Gordo by Carl Nebel
3. Map of Santa Anna's march into Texas during the Texas Revolution. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
4. 1876 tombstone of Antonio López de Santa Anna
Background from tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsa29
SANTA ANNA, ANTONIO LÓPEZ DE (1794–1876). Antonio López de Santa Anna Pérez de Lebrón, soldier and five-time president of Mexico, was born at Jalapa, Vera Cruz, on February 21, 1794, the son of Antonio López de Santa Anna and Manuela Pérez de Lebrón. His family belonged to the criollo middle class, and his father served at one time as a subdelegate for the Spanish province of Vera Cruz. After a limited schooling the young Santa Anna worked for a merchant of Vera Cruz. In June 1810 he was appointed a cadet in the Fijo de Vera Cruz infantry regiment under the command of Joaquín de Arredondo. He spent the next five years battling insurgents and policing the Indian tribes of the Provincias Internas. Like most criollo officers in the Royalist army, he remained loyal to Spain for a number of years and fought against the movement for Mexican independence. He received his first wound, an Indian arrow in his left arm or hand, in 1811. In 1813 he served in Texas against the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition, and at the battle of Medina he was cited for bravery. In the aftermath of the rebellion the young officer witnessed Arredondo's fierce counterinsurgency policy of mass executions, and historians have speculated that Santa Anna modeled his policy and conduct in the Texas Revolution on his experience under Arredondo. He once again served under Arrendondo against the filibustering expedition of Francisco Xavier Mina in 1817. The young officer spent the next several years in building Indian villages and in occasional campaigns, while he acquired debts, some property, and promotions. In 1820 he was promoted to brevet captain, and he became a brevet lieutenant colonel the following year. In March of 1821 he made the first of the dramatic shifts of allegiance that characterized his military and political career by joining the rebel forces under Agustín de Iturbide in the middle of a campaign against them. He campaigned for Iturbide for a time and was promoted to brigadier general. In December 1822 Santa Anna broke with Iturbide over a series of personal grievances, and he called for a republic in his Plan of Casa Mata in December 1822.
Portrait of Samuel Houston. Image courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
After serving as military governor of Yucatán, Santa Anna retired to civil life and became governor of Vera Cruz. In 1829 he defeated the Spanish invasion at Tampico and emerged from the campaign as a national hero. In the course of this campaign, he demonstrated several of his characteristic military strengths and weaknesses; he was able to pull an army together quickly and with severely limited resources, but he also combined elaborate planning with slipshod and faulty execution. He rebelled against the administration three years later and was elected president of Mexico as a liberal in 1833, but in 1834 he stated that Mexico was not ready for democracy and emerged as an autocratic Centralist. When the liberals of Zacatecas defied his authority and an attempt to reduce their militia in 1835, Santa Anna moved to crush them and followed up his battlefield victory with a harsh campaign of repression. In December 1835 he arrived at San Luis Potosí to organize an army to crush the rebellion in Texas. In 1836 he marched north with his forces to play his controversial role in the Texas Revolution. After his capture by Sam Houston's army, he was sent to Washington, D.C., whence he returned to Mexico. He retired to his estates at Manga de Clavo for a time, then emerged to join the defense of Mexico against the French in December 1838 during the so-called "Pastry War." He lost a leg in battle and regained his popularity. He was acting president in 1839, helped overthrow the government of Anastasio Bustamante in 1841, and was dictator from 1841 to 1845. Excesses led to his overthrow and exile to Havana.
At the beginning of the Mexican War, Santa Anna entered into negotiations with President James K. Polk. He offered the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the United States and was permitted to enter Mexico through the American blockade. Once in the country he rallied resistance to the foreign invaders. As commanding officer in the northern campaign he lost the battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, returned to Mexico City, reorganized the demoralized government, and turned east to be defeated by Winfield S. Scott's forces at Cerro Gordo. Secret negotiations with Scott failed, and when Mexico City was captured, Santa Anna retired to exile. In 1853 he was recalled by the Centralists, but again power turned his head. To help meet expenses he sold the Mesilla Valley to the United States as the Gadsden Purchase and was overthrown and banished by the liberals in 1855.
For eleven years he schemed to return to Mexico, conniving with the French and with Maximilian. After a visit from the American secretary of state, W. H. Seward, he invested most of his property in a vessel that he sailed to New York to become the nucleus of a planned invading force from the United States. Disappointed in his efforts, he proceeded towards Mexico, was arrested on the coast, and returned to exile. From 1867 to 1874 he lived in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Nassau. During this time he finally abandoned politics and wrote his memoirs. In 1874 he was allowed to return to Mexico City, where he lived in obscurity until his death on June 21, 1876. He was buried at Tepeyac Cemetery, near Guadalupe Hidalgo. Santa Anna was married twice, to Inés García in 1825, and, a few months after the death of his first wife in 1844, to María Dolores de Tosta, who survived him.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Wilfred Hardy Callcott, Santa Anna (Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1964). Oakah L. Jones, Santa Anna (New York: Twayne, 1968). Jeff Long, Duel of Eagles: The Mexican and U.S. Fight for the Alamo (New York: Morrow, 1990). Antonio López de Santa Anna, The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna, ed. Ann Fears Crawford (Austin: State House Press, 1988). Antonio López de Santa Anna et al., The Mexican Side of the Texan Revolution, trans. Carlos E. Castañeda (Dallas: Turner, 1928; 2d ed., Austin: Graphic Ideas, 1970)."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" PriceMaj Robert Thornton SPC Douglas Bolton Cynthia Croft SSgt Boyd Herrst SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSG William Jones PO3 Craig Phillips SP5 Jeannie Carle SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
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