José Antonio Navarro

José Antonio Navarro (February 27, 1795 – January 13, 1871) was a Texas statesman, revolutionary, and politician. The son of Ángel Navarro and Josefa María Ruiz, he was born into a distinguished noble family at San Antonio de Béxar in New Spain. (modern-day San Antonio, Texas). Navarro County, Texas, is named in his honor.

Family

Navarro was born into one of San Antonio's most prominent families, through which he had many connections to the Texas Revolution. Navarro's uncle José Francisco Ruiz was a fellow revolutionary and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His brother José Ángel Navarro was alcalde of San Antonio. Navarro was also the brother-in-law of Coahuila y Tejas governor Juan Martin de Veramendi. His niece Ursula Maria de Veramendi was the wife of his fellow Texas revolutionary Jim Bowie. His son, also named José Ángel Navarro, was a Texas politician and served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1857–1863.

Texas politician

Navarro developed a lengthy friendship with Stephen F. Austin and served as a leader in the Texas Revolution. During the 1830s Navarro represented Texas in the legislature of Coahuila y Tejas and in the federal Congress in Mexico City. He signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836 and became a member of the Republic of Texas Congress from Bexar County, Texas. Navarro participated in the failed Santa Fe Expedition of President Mirabeau B. Lamar and was briefly imprisoned there before escaping to Texas. In 1845 Navarro was instrumental in drafting the first state Constitution of Texas. He was twice elected to the Texas Senate before retiring from politics in 1849.

In his retirement Navarro wrote several historical and political essays about Texas and San Antonio's role in the Mexican Independence movement for the "San Antonio Ledger".

American Civil War

In 1861 Navarro espoused Texan secession from the United States in the American Civil War. Four of Navarro's children served in the army of the Confederate States of America between 1861 and 1865. The Navarro family was one of the most prominent Spanish American supporters of the Confederacy.

External links

* [http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-6579 "Biography of José Antonio Navarro, written by an Old Texan"] , published 1876 and hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History]
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*Read [http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-5827:364 Jose Antonio Navarro's entry] in the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-5827 Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas] hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History] .

Further reading

* "In Storms of Fortune: The Public Life of José Antonio Navarro" written by Anastacio Bueno M.A. Thesis, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1978
* "Remember the Alamo" The American Experience PBS