San Román, José

José San Román (1822-ca.1895) was a merchant, banker, and broker in the contraband cotton trade of the Civil War. San Román, born in Spain, moved to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in 1846 and established a dry-goods firm. San Román was quite successful in this venture, and by 1850 the business extended across the Rio Grande to the newly incorporated town of Brownsville, Texas. Furthermore, his business expanded into commercial credit, trustee holdings, real estate, and cotton brokerage. He moved to Texas in 1860.

As a broker, San Román facilitated the smuggling of cotton through the Union Blockade during the Civil War.

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