Simón de Herrera y Leyva
| Simón de Herrera | |
|---|---|
| 44th Governor of Nuevo León | |
|
In office April 7, 1795 – 1805 |
|
| Preceded by | Manuel Bahamonde y Villamil |
| Succeeded by | Pedro de Herrera y Leyva |
| 34th Governor of the Spanish Colony of Texas | |
|
In office July, 1811 – December, 1811 |
|
| Preceded by | Juan Bautista de las Casas |
| Succeeded by | Cristóbal Domínguez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1754 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands |
| Died | April 3, 1813 (aged 58-59) Bexar County, Spanish Texas |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Simón de Herrera y Leyva (1754–1813) was a lifelong political and military professional for Spain, primarily in the lands known as New Spain and at times ventured to Europe. He became an interim governor of Spanish Texas at San Antonio and a governor of Nuevo León.
Born in the Canary Islands in 1754, Simón de Herrera started his military career at the early age of nine, joining the Guimar Militia as sub-lieutenant on September 12, 1763. On August 2, 1769, at the age of 15, he had already reached the rank of captain of militia. In 1776, he served in South American ventures capturing Portuguese (now Brazilian) towns and ports. In Spain, he served as special courier to France and participated in the Great Siege of Gibraltar until 1781.
In 1782, he fought under the command of Bernardo de Gálvez at Guárico, Venezuela, and became acquainted with George Washington. He performed military services from 1788 to 1794 in Colotlán and Guadalajara, in Nueva Galicia, and afterwards took on a military leadership role in Nuevo León.
On April 7, 1795, he assumed political and military governorship of Nuevo León. He successfully lead his command against large raiding parties of Apaches and Comanches in 1797. In addition, he provided protection for the Texas frontier.
Commissioned as commandant of the Louisiana frontier, he traveled to San Antonio on May 31, 1806. He was ordered by Commandant General of the Internal Provinces, Nemesio Salcedo y Salcedo, to patrol the area between the Sabine and the Arroyo Hondo. He occupied Bayou Pierre in resistance to foreseen American aggression by General James Wilkinson. In November 1806, Herrera and Wilkinson settled on the Neutral Ground agreement (which was honored until the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819). After 1806 Herrera devoted his time in improving the defenses of Texas.
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Wikipedia