José Antonio de la Garza (May 31, 1776 – 1851?), was a

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in t ...

who was the first landowner in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and the first man to create a coin in this state. Antonio de la Garza was elected mayor of San Antonio in 1813 and 1832.

Biography

Early years

Antonio de la Garza was born in San Antonio de Béjar,

, on May 31, 1776. His parents were Leonardo de la Garza and Magdalena Martinez. His ancestors came from

Nuevo Leon Nuevo is the Spanish word for "new". It may refer to: * Nuevo, California, a town in the state of California * Nuevo (band), featuring singer and musician Peter Godwin * Nuevo (Bayamón), a settlement in Puerto Rico * "Nuevo", Spanish-language vers ...

(modern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

). Consulted in May 22–26, 2010. In 1813, he became the first elected mayor of San Antonio.La Odisea de los canarios en Texas y Luisiana (The Odyssey of the canarians in Texas and Louisiana), by José Manuel Balbuena Castellano. Chapter IV. Organización de los isleños: Los Ediles de San Antonio (Of the Islanders organization: The city fathers of San Antonio), page 46. Anroart Ediciones, SL. 2007.

The first coin in Texas

In 1818, after acquiring permission from the government of Texas, he created the first coin that existed in Texas. "On one side of the coin", de la Garza imprinted his initials "JAG" (José Antonio de la Garza) as well as, the year it was minted (1818). On the other side of the coin, he fixed a drawing of one star. The importance of this event was not only the creation of the first coin of Texas, but also that the star symbol drawn in the currency is said to have served of inspiration to the symbol of modern State of Texas, the "Lone Star." De la Garza used a building located between the Houston and Soledad streets for the minting of coins. He minted them for a year and a half.

Landowner

In 1824, thanks to the success of its currency, de la Garza obtained a large extension of land (which consisted of two leagues) between

and

Medina River The Medina River is located in south central Texas, United States, in the Medina Valley. It was also known as the Rio Mariano, Rio San Jose, or Rio de Bagres (Catfish river). Its source is in springs in the Edwards Plateau in northwest Bander ...

. In doing so, he "became one of the largest landowners in '' Bexar County''".

Mayor

In 1832, de la Garza became Mayor of San Antonio. That year he signed the articles from the Convention of 1832. Probably at the beginning of 1834 he bought the San Francisco de la Espada Mission. This purchase, however, was deemed illegal by some residents, leading to a rejection of him. This rejection was further strengthened when during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836), some Texas residents thought that his family defended the idea that Texas should remain Mexican (Texas was a province of Mexico previous to the Revolution). In the 1840s, de la Garza and his family settled near Calaveras Lake. Their house there, "a two-story structure", had been built forty years earlier (1801) and had three functions: as a church, a school and a community centre.

Personal life

José Antonio de la Garza married Maria Gertrudis de Jesus Rivas Irenaeus on October 21, 1813 at "La Villa de San Fernando de Béjar". They had 3 children; Carmen, Vicente and Rafael. Later, on July 20, 1824, he married María Josefa Menchaca and they had four children. One of his sons, Leonardo Garza, became a banker, business owner, and one of the wealthiest citizens of Bexar County in his time. De la Garza died on May 5, 1851 in

, according to the State of Texas Bulletin.

Legacy

In 1876

Garza County Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,816, of which most of the population were residing in Its county seat, and only incorporated municipality, Post. The county was created ...

was named after the family of José Antonio de la Garza, which lived in San Antonio for more than two hundred years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garza, Jose Antonio de la History of San Antonio Mayors of San Antonio People from San Antonio People of Spanish Texas People of Mexican Texas 1776 births 1851 deaths Tejano politicians