José María Viesca y Montes (1787–1856) was a lawyer and Mexican politician aligned with federalist ideology, who served as Governor of Coahuila and Texas (1827–1830). His brother, Agustín Viesca, took over the role of governor in 1835.

José María Viesca y Montes
3rd Governor of Coahuila and Texas
In office
4 July 1827 – 4 April 1831
Preceded byVíctor Blanco
Succeeded byRamón Músquiz
President of the Constituent Congress of Coahuila and Texas
In office
15 June 1827 – 24 June 1827
Preceded byFrancisco Antonio Gutiérrez
Succeeded byJosé Ignacio Sánchez Navarro (as President of the Congress of Coahuila and Texas)
In office
15 March 1827 – 24 April 1827
Preceded bySantiago Del Valle
Succeeded byRafael Ramos Valdés
In office
15 November 1826 – 15 December 1826
Preceded byDionicio Elizondo
Succeeded byJuan Vicente Campos
In office
15 December 1825 – 15 January 1826
Preceded byRafael Ramos Valdés
Succeeded byJuan Vicente Campos
Personal details
Born1787 (1787)
Villa de Santa María de las Parras, Coahuila, Mexico
Died1856 (1857) (aged 69)
Professionlawyer and politician

Early life

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Viesca y Montes was born in Villa de Santa María de las Parras, Coahuila. He had at least one brother, Agustín Viesca. He was the uncle of former governor of Coahuila Andrés S. Viesca Bagües and was Regidor of the City of Parras.

Career

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Like his brother, Agustín, he joined Plan of Iguala on 5 July 1821, but his signature was not recorded in the minutes because of his absence.[1]

He was a member of the delegation of the Internal State East during the Constitutional Convention from 1823 to 1824 and a member of the legislature of Coahuila and Texas in 1824. Later, he was elected governor of Coahuila and Texas, which he held between 4 June 1827 and 4 April 1831.[2] In 1833 he was senator in the same state.

In 1835, he opposed the centralist regime of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and Texas Independence, but he found little support for his federalist ideology. He was elected deputy for the state of Coahuila until the Constituent Congress of 1856. However, sickness prevented him from attending the conference, and he died the same year.[3]

Legacy

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To commemorate both Viesca and Mexican President Anastasio Bustamante, the town of Alamo de Parras, in Coahuila, was named San José de Viesca and Bustamante. The town is now known as Viesca.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Contreras Palacios, Gildardo (2010-05-16). "Se juró en la provincia de Coahuila" [It was sworn in the province of Coahuila]. El Diario de Coahuila (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  2. ^ Vigness, Winifred W.: Viesca, José María from the Handbook of Texas Online (2020-08-06). Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  3. ^ Pedraza Salinas, Jorge (2010-02-17). "Tres acontecimientos históricos" [Three historical events]. El Porvenir (in Spanish). ISSN 1563-7875. Archived from the original on 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  4. ^ "Viesca". visitmexico.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-04-01.