Álvarez de Toledo, José, 1779-1858

José Álvarez de Toledo was a politician, propagandist, and short-term commander of Texas forces in revolt against Spain. Born in Havana, Cuba, the son of a Spanish naval officer, Toledo was educated at the Escuela Naval de Cádiz in Spain and served in both the Spanish and British navies. He was elected to the Cortes at Cádiz as a representative from Santo Domingo but was exiled in 1811 due to his support of independence for the American colonies. Seeking refuge in the U.S., Toledo was given funds by Secretary of State James Monroe to spearhead revolutionary activities in Cuba but shifted his efforts to fomenting a revolution in Texas in order to escape the threat of arrest by Spanish officials in Havana. With William Shaler he assisted in preparing a Mexican revolutionary, José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara, to lead a filibustering expedition that succeeded in establishing a provisional government in San Antonio. After launching a propaganda campaign against Gutiérrez, whom Álvarez de Toledo accused of disregarding U.S. interests, Álvarez de Toledo assumed power in San Antonio and was named commander in chief of the Republican Army of the North. After his defeat by Spanish forces, Álvarez de Toledo fled Texas. He sought a pardon from Spain in 1816 and returned to Spain the following year. He lived the remainder of his life on a government pension.