José Justo Corro y Silva (c. 19 July 1794 – c. 18 December 1864) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman who was made president of Mexico on March 2, 1836, after the sudden death of President Miguel Barragán. During his administration, he oversaw the transition from the

First Mexican Republic The First Mexican Republic, known also as the First Federal Republic (), existed from 1824 to 1835. It was a Federal republic, federated republic, established by the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, Constitution of 1824, the first constitution of ...

to the

Centralist Republic of Mexico The Centralist Republic of Mexico (), or in the anglophone scholarship, the Central Republic, officially the Mexican Republic (), was a unitary political regime established in Mexico on 23 October 1835, under a new constitution known as the () ...

and the publication of the new constitution: the

Siete Leyes ''Las Siete Leyes'' (, or Seven Laws was a constitution that fundamentally altered the organizational structure of Mexico, away from the federal structure established by the Constitution of 1824, thus ending the First Mexican Republic and creating ...

. The nation also faced the ongoing

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

, and Mexican independence was recognized by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

Early life and education

José Justo Corro y Silva was born on 18 July, 1794, in the city of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

, the capital of what is now the state of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

. His parents were financially comfortable and descended from

Mexican nobility The Mexican nobility were a Heredity, hereditary nobility of Mexico, with specific privileges and obligations determined in the various political systems that historically ruled over the Mexican territory. The term is used in reference to variou ...

. He began his public life as a provincial ensign in 1810 and had reached the rank of captain lieutenant colonel when he took part in the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

. He went to law school in Guadalajara before moving 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 ...

and made a name for himself in the capital as a lawyer.

Career

Early positions

Corro served as a deputy in Jalisco's

Constituent Congress A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

, which held its first session on 14 September 1823. While there, he participated in the drafting and signing of the state's constitution, which was promulgated on 18 November 1824. Corro was part of the congress's treasury commission, where he and other legislators opposed classification of the General Congress's income, due to his and Jalisco's support of

federalism Federalism is a mode of government that combines a general level of government (a central or federal government) with a regional level of sub-unit governments (e.g., provinces, State (sub-national), states, Canton (administrative division), ca ...

. He then served as the

Governor of Jalisco The following is a list of governors of the Mexican state of Jalisco from 1821. The current Constitution indicates a term of six years in length, which cannot be renewed under any circumstances. It also stipulates the qualifications for becoming ...

from 22 September, 1828, until 1 May, 1829. On 26 January 1835, incumbent president

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. often known as Santa Anna, wa ...

attempted to step down, but congress did not immediately accept his resignation. Vice president

Valentín Gómez Farías Valentín Gómez Farías (; 14 February 1781 – 5 July 1858) was a Mexican physician and liberal politician who became president of Mexico twice, first from 1833 to 1834, during the period of the First Mexican Republic, and again from 1846 ...

was removed from power and his office abolished the following day, and on January 28, General Miguel Barragán became president. Barragán appointed Corro as minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs on 18 May 1835, a position in which he served until 27 February 1836. Barragán died of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

on 1 March 1836, just after resigning office on 27 February due to ill health, with Santa Anna again absent from the capital (this time fighting rebels in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

). Under those circumstances, the Chamber of Deputies on 27 February 1836 named Corro interim president. He formally took office on 2 March.

Presidency

He had been president for three months when news arrived of the Battle of San Jacinto, the defeat of Mexico by the Texans, and the capture of Santa Anna. Corro made patriotic appeals to aid the troops and save the president and laid out a plan for which the government could raise more funds. To the Mexican Navy were added a few vessels, and reinforcements were sent out to Texas by the end of 1836. At Puebla appeared a prounciamniento, the Plan of Concordia, calling for the unity of all parties, but it did not seriously threaten the government. Towards the end of 1836, former conservative President arrived back in the nation after an exile in Europe, and public opinion began to favor him for the presidency.

Foreign relations

The government at this time had to deal with many foreign crises, most apparent of all the

, and threats that the United States would recognize Texan independence. France had put forth claims of damages, which would eventually lead to the

Pastry War The Pastry War (; ), also known as the first French intervention in Mexico or the first Franco-Mexican war (1838–1839), began in November 1838 with the naval blockade of some Centralist Republic of Mexico, Mexican ports and the capture of the ...

in 1838. Due to rising tensions,

Manuel Eduardo de Gorostiza Manuel María del Pilar Eduardo de Gorostiza y Cepeda (13 October 1789 – 23 October 1851) was a Mexican writer, dramatist and diplomat. He was the son of Pedro Fernández de Gorostiza, governor of the port of Veracruz, and the poet Rosario Cep ...

, the Mexican minister to the United States was summoned back to Mexico. In response to the seizure of American merchant ships, the Mexican brigantine ‘General Urrea’ had been captured by American vessels, and the latter had been forced to lower the Mexican colors and fly the American flag. Wishing to avoid a war, the Mexican government ordered a release of captured vessels. In March 1837, the new ambassador of France in Mexico received a message from his government claiming damages that had not been addressed by the Mexican government with the warning that if they were continued to be ignored they would result in war between France and Mexico. When the ambassador arrived in Mexico he was received by President Corro, and Minister

José María Tornel José María de Tornel y Mendívil (1795–1853) was a 19th-century creole (Mexican Spanish descent) Mexican army general, attorney and politician who greatly influenced Mexico’s political stage and the career of President Antonio López de S ...

held many banquets for him. In a proclamation Corro assured that he would not be intimidated by foreign interests. A newspaper published a letter by the French ambassador with maps showcasing recent French triumphs in Algeria, meant to show off French military capability. The Corro administration was successful in getting the

to recognize Mexican independence, under the condition that the anti-clerical laws, established in 1833 by president

, would be lifted. The pope then resolved to send an internuncio. On December 28, 1836, Spain also recognized Mexican independence though news of this would not arrive in Mexico until Corro was no longer president. Representing Mexico during the negotiations in Madrid was Miguel Santa Maria who would remain in Spain as Mexico's foreign representative.

Domestic issues

In the course of his presidency Corro would have three ministers of finance – Mangino, Alas and Cervantes – who all struggled to raise funds, and who all appealed the government to take out foreign loans. The use of copper also caused trouble as it lent itself easily to counterfeiting, which Corro tried to discourage by devaluing the value of the copper coin. To alleviate the financial chaos, a National Bank was also established, but it struggled due to a lack of funds. Urban properties had avoided paying taxes since independence, and the Corro administration on June 30, 1836, decreed that they now had to pay two pesos for every thousand pesos in value which they had. Partisan conflict on the municipal level resulted in a petition to the president to suspend the elections for the

Ayuntamiento ''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain: * (). * (). * (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin America, for the municipality itself. is mai ...

s until the publication of the Siete Leyes, the new constitution that was being worked on. After suppressing the revolt of Juan Alvarez in the south of the country, congress began focusing on this new, centralist constitution. The

were finally published on December 30, 1836. It revoked anticlerical laws previously passed by Gómez Farías, but maintained state control over the church. Elections were held in accordance with the new constitution, and the ex-president

Anastasio Bustamante Trinidad Anastasio de Sales Ruiz Bustamante y Oseguera (; 27 July 1780 – 6 February 1853) was a Mexican physician, general, and politician who served as the 4th President of Mexico three times from 1830 to 1832, 1837 to 1839, and 1839 to 1841. ...

who had recently returned from Europe, succeeded in winning another term.

Later life

Corro stepped down on 19 April 1837, being succeeded by Bustamante. Corro then retired to private life in

. He died there on 18 December, 1864, and was interred in the

Panteón de Belén Panteón de Belén (also Santa Paula Cemetery) is a historic cemetery located in Guadalajara, Mexico. The cemetery is a site of legends and night tours. It opened in 1848 and was formally closed for burials in 1896. It remains open to the public f ...

. There is a street named after Corro in Guadalajara.

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corro, Jose Justo Presidents of Mexico 1794 births 1864 deaths 19th-century Mexican politicians 1830s in Mexico Politicians from Guadalajara, Jalisco Governors of Jalisco 19th-century Mexican lawyers