Irrespressible Santa Anna

During a 40 year career in the army and in politics, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna unlike his idol, Napoleon Bonaparte, suffered more than one Waterloo, but he regularly confounded his enemies by bouncing back into power.

Santa Anna was born in Jalapa, Veracruz in 1794.  He began his military career at the age of 15 as a cadet.  After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821 he entered politics, changing sides several times.  Eventually he supported the liberal Federalists against the conservative Centralists.  In 1832, he engineered a coup that ousted the Centralist dictator. Santa Anna was elected president for the term beginning January 1, 1833.

By 1835 Santa Anna had repudiated the Federalist party and become dictator of Mexico in his own right.  After his defeat at San Jacinto in 1836, he fell from power, but became a hero against the French invaders in Veracruz and returned to the presidency three more times:  1841-1833 (ousted for extravagance and incompetency), 1846-1847 (into exile after defeat in Mexican War), 1853-1855 (overthrown and exiled after he declared himself president for life). 

In 1874 the blind, impoverished old man was allowed by the government to return to Mexico City where he died in 1876.

Next time...On the Long Road to Statehood

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Today in Pioneer History: On September 15, 1858, the new Overland Mail Company sends out its first two stages, inaugurating government mail service between the eastern and western regions of the nation.