Gallegos, José Manuel, 1815-1875

GALLEGOS, José Manuel, a Delegate from the Territory of New Mexico; was born in what is now Rio Arriba County, N.Mex., October 30, 1815; attended parochial schools; studied theology at the College of Durango, Republic of Mexico, and was graduated in 1840; member of the legislative assembly of what was then the Department of New Mexico, Republic of Mexico, 1843-1846; member of the first Territorial council of the Territory of New Mexico in 1851; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1855); presented credentials as a Delegate-elect to the Thirty-fourth Congress and served from March 4, 1855, to July 23, 1856, when he was succeeded by Miguel A. Otero, who contested his election; member of the Territorial house of representatives 1860-1862 and served as speaker; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress; made a prisoner of war by the Texas Confederate troops in 1862; treasurer of the Territory in 1865 and 1866; superintendent of Indian affairs in New Mexico in 1868; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-second Congress (March 4, 1871-March 3, 1873); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1872 to the Forty-third Congress; died in Santa Fe, N.Mex., April 21, 1875; interment in the Catholic Cemetery.

<p>José M. Gallegos, a prominent former priest and legislator, navigated the New Mexico Territory’s chaotic political scene to become the first Hispanic of Mexican descent elected as a Territorial Delegate to Congress. The intense nationalism that accompanied his country’s independence from Spain bound Gallegos and many of his constituents to the Mexican cultural and political institutions that the U.S. supplanted after the war with Mexico. Marred by multiple contested elections and complicated by his limited English, Gallegos’s House service symbolized the challenges and contradictions inherent in the process of incorporating new lands and peoples into the growing nation.</p>

<p>José Manuel Gallegos was born in Abiquiú, New Mexico, on October 30, 1815, to Pedro Ignacio, the alcalde (mayor) and chief magistrate of the town, and Ana María Gavaldon. He attended a parochial school in Taos, New Mexico, where he became interested in theology, and may also have attended a private school in Abiquiú. From 1836 to 1839, he studied at the College of Durango, Mexico, to prepare for the Catholic priesthood. Gallegos most likely graduated and was ordained by 1840. His mentors, including Padre Antonio José Martínez, studied in Durango during the Mexican Revolution, immersing themselves in secular politics as much as in sacred texts. Having committed to Mexican nationalism in their youth, they imparted that cultural identity to a young generation of seminarians like Gallegos, imbuing them with a deep sense of loyalty to the nascent Mexican state.</p>

<p>Gallegos’s independent nature made him a frequent source of concern for political and religious authorities. In 1840 he ran afoul of Governor Manuel Armijo, who accused Gallegos of having an affair with the wife of a corporal in the Mexican Army. Gallegos was sentenced to a three-year exile from Santa Fe, but his superior, a vicar, interceded and sent Gallegos to the parish of San Juan to avoid further controversy. Gallegos served in San Juan from 1840 to 1845 and in the parish of Albuquerque from October 1845 to September 1852, becoming pastor of the latter parish in December 1847.</p>

<p>José Manuel Gallegos (October 30, 1815 – April 21, 1875) was a delegate to the US Congress from the Territory of New Mexico.</p>

<p>Born in Abiquiú, in what is now Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, Gallegos attended parochial schools. He studied theology at the Jesuit run College of Durango (Colegio de Durango), Republic of Mexico, graduated in 1840, and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. He served as member of the legislative assembly of what was then the Department of New Mexico, Republic of Mexico from 1843 to 1846. He served as member of the first territorial council of the Territory of New Mexico in 1851.</p>

<p>Gallegos was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third US Congress (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855). He was elected to a second term but served only briefly, March 4, 1855, to July 23, 1856, as he was succeeded by Miguel Antonio Otero (I), who had successfully contested Gallegos's election. He served as member of the territorial house of representatives 1860-1862 and served as speaker. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth US Congress.</p>