Juan Ruiz de Apodaca

Juan Ruiz de Apodaca
Ruiz de Apodaca as viceroy of New Spain.
61st Viceroy of New Spain
In office 20 September 1816 – 5 July 1821
Monarch	Ferdinand VII of Spain
Preceded by	Félix María Calleja del Rey
Succeeded by	Francisco Novella Azabal Pérez y Sicardo
Colonial governor of Cuba
In office 1812–1816
Monarch	Ferdinand VII of Spain
Preceded by	Salvador de Muro y Salazar
Succeeded by	José Cienfuegos
Personal details
Born	Juan José Ruiz de Apodaca y Eliza Gastón de Iriarte López de Letona y Lasqueti 3 February 1754 Cadiz, Spain
Died	11 January 1835(1835-01-11) (aged 80) Madrid, Spain

Juan José Ruiz de Apodaca y Eliza Gastón de Iriarte López de Letona y Lasqueti, count of Venadito (3 February 1754, Cadiz, Spain – 11 January 1835, Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish naval officer and viceroy of New Spain from 20 September 1816 to 5 July 1821, during Mexico's War of Independence.

Ruiz de Apodaca was born in Cádiz into a family of renowned Basque merchants. He entered the navy in 1767 and took part in the campaign against Algerian pirates. In 1770 he was promoted to the rank of ensign. He was in Peru from 1770 to 1778 and England in 1779.

From 1781 to 1790 he was a captain, in charge of ships of the line, and afterward he was in charge of the reconstruction of the harbor at Tarragona. In October 1802 he was named commandant of the arsenal at Cadiz. Now in command of a squadron, he made major improvements at Cadiz. When the French invaded Spain, he took command of the remnants of a Spanish fleet, which had been largely captured or destroyed in the Battle of Trafalgar, and captured the French squadron opposite his own. He was subsequently ambassador plenipotentiary in Britain and Captain General of Florida and Cuba (1812–15). His reputation was that of a man of tact and good judgment. For his services he was awarded the military crosses of San Fernando and San Hermenegildo.

During a moment of great turbulence in the Mexican war of independence, he was named viceroy of New Spain at the beginning of 1816 but he did not take over the office from Félix María Calleja until September 20. As a new viceroy Apodaca offered amnesty to the rebels. Thousands of insurgents accepted, with only Vicente Guerrero in the south and Guadalupe Victoria and Nicolás Bravo in Veracruz remaining in active rebellion. The viceroy also reversed the harsh policies of Calleja and ordered that in no circumstances were rebel prisoners to be summarily shot.