Miguel de la Torre
Miguel de la Torre y Pando | |
|---|---|
Captain General of Venezuela | |
| In office 1820–1822 | |
| Preceded by | Pablo Morillo |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Tomás Morales |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 December 1786 General |
| Commands | Expeditionary Army of Costa Firme, La Victoria Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
Miguel de la Torre y Pando, conde de Torrepando (13 December 1786, in
Early Career
At the age of fourteen he joined the Spanish Army as a soldier during the
Venezuela and New Granada
The following year he was assigned to the Expeditionary Army of Costa Firme which partcipated in a military expedition to South America led by Field Marshall Pablo Morillo. Within this expeditionary army he was given command of the "La Victoria" Infantry Regiment and participated in the Spanish reconquest of New Granada.[1]
Promoted to
After the restoration of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 in 1820, the government appointed him governor (jefe político superior) and captain-general of Venezuela, a post he held until 1822. He participated in the negotiations between Bolívar and Morillo and the later meeting in Santa Ana, where the two signed a six-month truce and a treaty regularizing the rules of engagement. After Morillo resigned and left Venezuela at the end of 1820, La Torre became the head of the royalist army, in addition to his other duties. As such he oversaw the loss suffered by royalist forces at the Battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821, which effectively ended Spanish control of Venezuela. The following year he was replaced in his offices by Francisco Tomás Morales.
Puerto Rico
In 1822, the government appointed him captain general of Puerto Rico, arriving on the island in December 1823. The following year he was also appointed governor of the island. In collaboration with his intendant, Dr. José Domingo Díaz, whom he knew from his days in Venezuela, La Torre's main concern was preventing a rebellion on the island. Carefully controlling the government, he instituted a policy which he called "dance, drink and dice" (baile, botella y baraja, similar to the Romans "bread and circuses"), implying that a well entertained population will not think about revolution. Despite La Torre's wariness of the island's liberal tendencies, his long administration was key to the development of large-scale sugar production on the island, something which had been created decades earlier in Cuba. He also continued supporting from Puerto Rico the few royalist guerrilla bands that existed in Venezuela. Under his watch, roads, homes, bridges, and Spanish fortifications were constructed.[2]
As governor and captain general, he oversaw the temporary restoration of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 in 1836, while a new constitution was written. He was also made the Count of Torrepando for his services. The following year he retired from public life and settled in Madrid.
Legacy
In Ponce, Puerto Rico there is a street, Calle Simon de la Torre (aka, Calle Torre), leading to Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro which is named after him.
See also
- Spanish reconquest of New Granada
- Reconquista (Spanish America)
- Royalist (Spanish American Revolutions)
- Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
References
- ISBN 978-958-664-238-5.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ "Relacion circunstanciada de todas las obras publicas emprendidas en la isla de Puerto-Rico en el año de 1827. : Por disposicion del Escmo. Sr. D. Miguel de la Torre, su gobernador y capitan general, é igualmente los gastos que han causado en los diversos ramos á que corresponden : Puerto Rico". Internet Archive (in Spanish). 23 October 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- Pérez Tenreiro, Tomás. "Torre y Pando, Miguel de la," Diccionario de Historia de Venezuela. Caracas: Fundacíon Polar, 1997. ISBN 980-6397-37-1
- Stoan, Stephen K. Pablo Morillo and Venezuela, 1815-1820. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1959.
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