Jose de Gálvez

Biography

Jose de Gálvez there Gallardo, is the second child of Antonio de Gálvez her father, and of doña Anna Gallardo there Cabrera his/her mother.

Jose Bernardo de Gálvez there Gallardo, follows her studies to the seminar of Málaga, to embrace an ecclesiastical career, but its vocation was not without measurement. It will then continue studies of right to the Université of Salamanque and will obtain its doctorate at the university of Alcalá de Henares (Spain).

He marries will señora it Madeleine de Grimaldi, which will die one year later. He marries in second wedding a French Lucie Romet de Pichelin, which allowed him to have the post of lawyer of the embassy of France to Madrid (Spain).

He was lawyer with the embassy of Spain in France and secretary of the Marquis Jerónimo Grimaldi at the time of the Pacte of family, then alcalde of put there corte , at this point in time the king Charles III names it visitador (general inspector) of News-Spain, with for mission of controlling the administration of Joaquín de Montserrat, marked of Cruillas, Vice-roi of the colony. The Crown is wary then of Montserrat following a fall of perceptions of the royal revenues.

Gálvez arrives to News-Spain in 1761 as a Minister for the Conseil of the Indies, it starts are mandate of visitador only in 1764 when it receives the full powerss.

Among his government actions one will note the creation of a state monopoly on the tobacco and new taxes on the pulque (alcohol of maguey, once distilled it gives the Mezcal) and the flour. It also takes measures to fight the smuggling and the system of perception of the customs duties to Veracruz and Acapulco. It establishes accounting departments for the municipalities. The governmental incomes pass from 6 million pesos in 1763 to 8 million in 1767 and 12 million in 1773.

In 1765, a reorganization project of the armies, envisaged by the viceroy Montserrat under the direction of the General Juan de Villalva in charge of the rehandling, is not appreciated at all by the king of Spain, which names a new viceroy Carlos Francisco de Croix. This one charges Jose de Gálvez expelling the Jesuits of the colony (June 25th 1767) and with confiscating the goods and the properties of the Company.

In 1767 Charles III takes a decree of imprisonment and of expulsion of the Jésuite S. In News-Spain this decree brings riots and disorders. Gálvez puts an end to it by summary lawsuits and sentences of prison to perpetuity, mainly with San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato and Michoacán.

After the expulsion of the Jesuits, Gálvez encourages the development of the Spanish Missions of California by the franciscains. Charles III wished to establish a strong Spanish presence there to thwart the Russian expansion since the Alaska. For this reason it establishes also a naval base with San Blas and later, in 1769, it organizes the forwarding of Junípero Serra and Gaspar de Portolà in California. Tightened founds the mission of San Diego in 1769 and Portolá that of Monterey in 1770. At the end of 1771 forwarding arrives at San Francisco.

Jose de Gálvez returns to Spain in 1772 as a member of the General advice commercial, currency and mines, governor of the Conseil of the Indies and adviser of state. Charles III the fact Marquis de Sonora and in 1775 Minister of the Indies. At this station it can continue with organized the northern area of News-Spain. It bench general command of the internal provinces which include/understand the Nueva Vizcaya (Tamaulipas), Sinaloa, Sonora, Californies (low and high), Coahuila, Nuevo Mexico City and Texas . Chihuahua was the capital and Teodoro de Croix, nephew of the viceroy, general commander. He also benefits from his station to make name his brothers Matías, Miguel and Antonio with high responsibilities. (Matias will be governor of the Guatemala and viceroy of News-Spain, Miguel minister plénipotencière with the court of Prussia and Antonio general administrator of the the Canaries)

Source

"Gálvez, Jose de" , Enciclopedia of Mexico City , v. 6. Mexico City City, 1987.
Jose de Gálvez, Visitor-General off New Spain, 1765-1771 ; Priestley, H.I. ; Berkeley: University off California Near, 1916.

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