Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano (Zavala) de Zavala (abt. 1788 - 1836)

Born about 3 Oct 1788 in Tecoh, Yucatán, México [uncertain]

Died 15 Nov 1836 at about age 48 in Zavala Point, Harrisburg, Texas

Biography

Manuel Lorenzo (Zavala) de Zavala is Notable.

Personal Life

Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala y Sáenz was born in the village of Tecoh near Mérida, Yucatán, on October 3, 1788, the fifth of nine children of Anastasio de Zavala y Velázquez and María Bárbara Sáenz y Castro. Born the same year the new United States had adopted its constitution, he admired the government created by the men in Philadelphia.

Lorenzo’s first wife was Teresa Correa y Correa, whom he married in Yucatán in 1807. They had three children, including Lorenzo, Jr., who served his father in Paris as secretary of legation and, after the battle of San Jacinto, served as translator for Sam Houston in his negotiations with Santa Anna. Zavala's wife died in the spring of 1831.

Lorenzo’s married his second wife, Emilia "Emily" (West) de Zavala (born 9 Sep 1809), a native of New York, in New York City on November 12, 1831. Together, they had three children. The oldest son, Augustine de Zavala, was the father of Adina Emilia de Zavala, who is remembered for her spirited role in the fight to preserve the Alamo.

On November 12 1836, soaked and half-frozen after his rowboat overturned in Buffalo Bayou, Lorenzo developed pneumonia, to which he succumbed on November 15, 1836. Lorenzo was buried at his home in Zavala Point, Harrisburg, Texas, within a small cemetery plot marked by the state of Texas in 1931. The plot has since been engulfed by Buffalo Bayou. ^[1].

The Telegraph and Texas Register of November 26, 1836, contains this obituary:

'Died on the 5th inst. at his residence on the San Jacinto, our distinguished and talented fellow citizen, Lorenzo De Zavala. In the death of this enlightened and patriotic statesmen, Texas has lost one of her most valuable citizens, the cause of liberal principles one of its most untiring advocates and society one of its brightest ornaments. His travels have procured him an extensive acquaintance with mankind; his writings have justly elevated him to a high rank as an author; and the part he has played in the revolution of his country and his uncompromising exertions in favor of Republican institutions have erected to his memory a monument more durable than brass. His death will be lamented by the admirable and interesting family which he has left and the large number of friends which he has acquired through a life devoted to the cause of liberty and the service of mankind.'"

Political Career

After graduating from the Tridentine Seminary of San Ildefonso in Mérida in 1807, Lorenzo founded and edited several newspapers in which he expressed democratic ideas that were to be the hallmark of his political career, ideas which he continued to advocate while serving as secretary of the city council of Mérida from 1812 until 1814. In addition, he published a number of pamphlets, memorials, broadsides, and books.

Lorenzo’s support of democratic reforms ultimately led to his imprisonment in 1814 in the fortress of San Juan de Ulloa in the harbor of Veracruz, where he taught himself to read English, and gained enough knowledge from reading medical textbooks to qualify him to practice medicine upon his release from prison in 1817. Upon his release from prison, he took up the practice of medicine until 1819 when he once again returned to politics. After serving as secretary of the provincial assembly of Yucatán in 1820, Zavala went to Madrid in 1821 as a deputy to the Spanish Cortes. Upon his return to Mexico, he joined the leaders of the new nation in establishing a republican government.

Lorenzo represented the Yucatán as a deputy in the First and Second Mexican Constituent congresses of 1822 and 1824 and in the Mexican Senate from 1824 to 1826. In addition to holding office, Zavala further affected the political structure in Mexico by his active participation in establishing York Rite Masonry in Mexico in 1826. Serving as an alternative to the Scottish Rite Grand Orient style of Masonry favored by the politically conservative and centralist leaders, the York Rite boasted a membership that championed liberal ideals and a decentralized, federal plan for government. Zavala became the Charter Master of Independencia Lodge No. 454.

In the following years, marked by the struggle between the Federalists and Centralists for control over both national and state governments, he served intermittently as governor of the state of Mexico. When Vicente Ramón Guerrero became president, Lorenzo was appointed secretary of the treasury and served from April 1829 to October 1829, until the Centralist party, led by Vice President Anastacio Bustamante, ousted Guerrero late in the year. Lorenzo, being a strong Federalist, was forced to abandon politics and placed under house arrest until his exile in June 1830.

Upon his arrival in New York, Lorenzo sought to interest eastern capitalists in the empresario grants he had received 1829, which authorized him to settle 500 families in a huge tract of land in what is now southeastern Texas. In New York City, 1830, he transferred his interest in the grants to the Galveston Bay and Texas Land Company. After spending several months during 1831 in France and England, Zavala resided in New York City until his return to Mexico in the summer of 1832.

From December 1832 until October 1833 he again served as governor of the state of Mexico, before returning to the Congress as a deputy for his native state of Yucatán. Named by President Antonio López de Santa Anna in October 1833 to serve as the first minister plenipotentiary of the Mexican legation in Paris, he reported to that post in the spring of 1834. When he learned that Santa Anna had assumed dictatorial powers in April of that same year, Lorenzo denounced his former ally and resigned from his diplomatic assignment. Disregarding Santa Anna's orders to return to Mexico City, he traveled to New York and then to Texas, where he arrived in July 1835.

From the day of his arrival, Lorenzo was drawn into the political caldron of Texas politics. Although he first advocated the cause of Mexican Federalism, within a few weeks he became an active supporter of the independence movement, served in the Permanent Council and later as the representative of Harrisburg in the Consultation and the Convention of 1836. Lorenzo rejoined his family at their home at Zavala Point on Buffalo Bayou, from where they fled to Galveston Island as Santa Anna's army pursued him and other cabinet members across Texas.

Motion for Zavala to translate the Texas Declaration to the Public into Spanish

His legislative, executive, ministerial, and diplomatic experience, together with his education and linguistic ability, uniquely qualified him for the role he was to play in the drafting of the constitution of the Republic of Texas. By a motion on 8 Nov 1835, Zavala was designated to translate the Texas Declaration into Spanish. His advice and counsel earned him the respect of his fellow delegates, who elected him ad interim Vice President of the new republic.

Following the adjournment of the Convention, Zavala found himself in frequent disagreement with President David G. Burnet. On May 1st, citing his desire to assist the government in a more active capacity, Zavala submitted the first of three resignations in a letter to Burnet from Zavala, Rusk, and Hardeman:

Letter to Burnet from Zavala, Rusk, and Hardeman (p.1)

Camp San Jacinto
1st May 1836

Dear Sir
Ten days have now elapsed since
the Battle at this place and of the
propriety of the army having at once taken
up the line of march no one could
have doubted for a moment We are gaining
nothing and our enemy are certainly losing
nothing by our delay-- There are provisions
at the Island which we greatly need
we have prisoners here which must be
transported there we have also arms our
force is not sufficient to take care of
these prisoners and arms and also march
upon the enemy as we should
There are Steam Boats at the Island
which might long ere this have transported
the prisoners & extra arms to Galveston, and
have transported our baggage (for it must
be recollected that we left all baggage
waggons behind to make a forced march on the
enemy) to Harrisburgh -- There is also

Letter to Burnet from Zavala, Rusk, and Hardeman (p.2)

business of great magnetude to be transacted
here by the Executive Government all these
things must be known to every one I have
Those of the Cabinet who have are here
have waited with great anxiety for
the arrival of yourself and the Secretary
of the Navy with the Steam Boats &
provisions hopes have been differed &
expectations have been disappointed
I we entered the Cabinet with reluctance
I we have no ambition to gratify by the
possession of office but the good of
the Country. If things are to go on
as they have done for the last few days
I we have no desire further to be connected
with transactions that must result
to the injury of the Country I we may speak too much
in the Spirit of complaint but I we
have Suffered much by seeing the
Golden moments of action drag

Letter to Burnet from Zavala, Rusk, and Hardeman (p.2)

heavily away when our Country is bleeding
at every pore without the corresponding
action upon our part and when I we
find myself ourselves cramped in every way
I we can not but feel it bear heavily upon me.
Will the other two members of the Cabinet
come up here? will the Steam Boats
be sent with provisions for the Army?
I we hope these questions will be soon
answered I am we are
Truly Yours
Thomas J. Rusk
Secy of War

Bailey Hardeman
Sec of Treasury

Lorenzo de Zavala

On the 28th, Zavala met with the captive President-General Santa Anna. In the following weeks he would serve as the interpreter and liaison between Santa Anna and the Texas government, particularly during the Velasco treaty negotiations completed May 14. In cabinet meetings he maintained a neutral position on the topic of negotiating with Santa Anna. When he returned to Velasco he found that both a public and a secret treaty had been ratified and that the cabinet had appointed him and Bailey Hardeman to accompany Santa Anna to Mexico to negotiate treaty of recognition for Texas. Zavala resigned a second time on June 3, after President Burnet gave in to cabinet complaints and army protests led by Thomas Jefferson Green. Although already on board ship for transfer to Vera Cruz, Santa Anna was returned to prison in Velasco and threatened with execution. Zavala condemned the action stating: "a government that takes orders from armed masses is no longer a body politic." He further extended his protest by helping Santa Anna compose a letter, addressed to Burnet, denouncing his treatment at the hands of the mob. The fiasco at Velasco led to the third stage of Zavala's thinking about his new country. Writing to Mexia, he declared his sense of having satisfied his obligations to Texas, but he was inclined to side with those favoring union with the United States: "for by this action the stability of our government will be assured and because I believe it will be very difficult for Texas to march alone among the other independent nations."

Throughout the rest of the summer he suffered recurrent bouts of malaria. On September 11 he wrote that he expected to be strong enough to attend opening session of the government, but two weeks later, found himself still too ill to attend. On October 14, President Burnet wrote suggesting that both he and Zavala resign their offices so that the newly elected government could be inaugurated at once. ^[2]

In accordance with the provisions of the Treaties of Velasco, Lorenzo was appointed, on May 27, 1836, one of the peace commissioners to accompany Santa Anna to Mexico City, where the general was to attempt to persuade the Mexican authorities to recognize the independence of Texas. The frustration of this plan by certain Texas military units brought an end to the peace commission. Shortly thereafter, Lorenzo returned to his home in poor health and relinquished his part in the affairs of state. He resigned the Vice Presidency on October 17, 1836. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}.

Legacy

Viage á los Estados-Unidos del Norte de América (Title Page)

In the twenty-five years after 1807 when Zavala became politically active, he demonstrated his skills as a writer in uncounted articles and editorials in newspapers in Mérida and Mexico City, and in a large number of pamphlets and memorials. He is best known as an author for his two-volume history of Mexico, which first appeared under the title Ensayo histórico de las revoluciones de México desde 1808 hasta 1830 (Paris and New York, 1831 and 1832), and for his Viage á los Estados-Unidos del Norte de América / Journey to the United States of America (Paris, 1834), in which he described economic, political, and social phenomena he observed during his visit to the United States in 1830–31.

Lorenzo de Zavala's memory has also been preserved in Texas in a number of place names, notably Zavala County; Zavala, village in Jasper County, and a rural settlement in Angelina County. Zavala also appears in numerous street and school names throughout the State. ^[10].

Research Notes

I ran across an interesting read in the Texas School Journal from April 1906 that seems to offer some variant information regarding the details of his birth in Spain (as opposed to Mérida, Yucatán) and his ‘banishment’ from Mexico. ^[11]: Harris-5439 11:25, 17 February 2018 (EST)

Lorenzo De Zavala, first Vice President of the Republic of Texas, was born in Madrid, Spain, October 3, 1789. His father, Don Anastasio De Zavala, was a Castilian and a man of education and refinement. His mother was Donna Maria Barbara Saenz, also of a distinguished family.
At the time of Lorenzo's birth the American States had just entered upon their first year of constitutional government, with George Washington as President. Europe was on the eve of the revolutionary epoch (1789-1815), which has been characterized as one of the most important transition periods in her history. The ideas of personal and individual liberty and of popular sovereignty, promulgated by the great writers of the century, —French, German and English,—and made concrete in the American governmental system, had taken a deep hold upon the people, causing a general discontent and dissatisfaction with the existing order of things in Europe.
A notable exception to this general feeling was found in Spain. Here, among the great mass of the people, liberal ideas found no foothold. An enlightened few had caught a breath of the new thought as it was wafted over the Pyrennees, but they were looked upon as dangerous innovators and a menace to the State.
Anastasio De Zavala was one of these innovators. Despairing of liberty at home and to escape proscription, he turned his thoughts toward the New World; and when Lorenzo was eighteen months old he moved to Yucatan, then a dependency of Spain, and settled in the town of Merida.

He [Lorenzo] acquired an excellent knowledge of the English language and became an earnest student of the writings of Thomas Jefferson, whose political theories he adopted and advocated on all occasions. It is related that, one day when passing the governor on the streets of Merida, he failed to make obeisance, whereupon his excellency struck him with his riding whip. The young disciple of Jefferson thereupon jerked his excellency from his carriage and gave him a pounding, impressing thus his creed that "all men are created equal." For this act of lese majeste he was banished from the country. The period of his banishment he spent in Europe, where he completed his education and became more thoroughly indoctrinated, if such a thing were possible, with the ideas of "liberty, equality and fraternity."

Sources

1. ↑ Henson, Margaret Swett. Lorenzo de Zavala: The Pragmatic Idealist. Texas Christian University Press. Fort Worth, Texas. 1996.
2. ↑ Giants of Texas History. Lorenzo de Zavala. Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
3. ↑ Raymond Estep, The Life of Lorenzo de Zavala (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1942). Raymond Estep, "Lorenzo de Zavala and the Texas Revolution," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 57 (January 1954).
4. ↑ Henson, Margaret Swett. Lorenzo de Zavala: The Pragmatic Idealist. Texas Christian University Press. Fort Worth, Texas. 1996.
5. ↑ Haythornthwaite, Philip. The Alamo and the War of Texas Independence 1835-36. London: Osprey, 1986.
6. ↑ Alessio Robles, Vito. Coahuila y Texas en la Epoca Colonial. 2nd edition. Mexico: Editorial Porrua, 1978.
7. ↑ The Smithwick, Noah. Evolution of a State, or, Recollections of Old Texas Days. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 1983.
8. ↑ Castañeda, Carlos Eduardo, translator. The Mexican Side of the Texan Revolution (1836). New York: Arno Press, 1976, c1928.
9. ↑ Calderón, Marcela. El Yucatán de Zavala : sus primeros años. Toluca de Lerdo, Estado de México: Fondo Editorial Estado de México, 2012. Print.
10. ↑ Henson, Margaret Swett. Lorenzo de Zavala: The Pragmatic Idealist. Texas Christian University Press. Fort Worth, Texas. 1996.
11. ↑ Littlejohn, E. G. "Little Biographies of the Makers of Texas History." Texas School Journal, XXII, Apr. 1906, pp. 19–21. This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible.

‘’’See Also:’’’

• Find A Grave: Memorial #8063114
• ZAVALA, LORENZO DE. Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Modified on May 31, 2016.
• Wikipedia: Lorenzo de Zavala