Abraham González
Encyclopedia
Governor of Chihuahua
According to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chosen for a period of six years and cannot for any reason...
of the Mexican state of Chihuahua during the early period of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. He was the political mentor to the revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
, whom he had met and befriended before the revolution.
Family
González was born on his family's estates in BasúchilBasúchil
Basúchil is a village in the municipality of Guerrero, State of Chihuahua, Mexico. It was founded in 1710 and was initially named San Antonio de la Villa de Aguilar, which was later changed to Communidad de Basúchil. Cerro de Miñaca , a butte, is the landmark above the town...
, in Guerrero Municipality, Chihuahua. He was a member of one of the richest and best-educated families in the state (the González family was believed to be descended from European nobility). He was educated at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, in Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
.
Political Career
He was one of the main leaders of the Maderista Junta Revolucionaria Mexicana, the movement which opposed the re-election of dictator Porfirio DíazPorfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
in 1910.
During the early phases of the Revolution, González was appointed provisional governor of the State of Chihuahua on October 1910 by Francisco Madero. After the success of the Madero revolution, González was appointed interim governor in June 1911 pending elections. He was elected governor in his own right in August 1911.
In October 1911, González obtained a leave of absence, approved by the Chihuahua legislature, from the office of governor so that he could serve on Madero’s cabinet in Mexico City. On November 6, 1911 he was sworn in as the Minister of Internal Affairs (Secretaría de Gobernación). He served in this capacity until February 1912, when he returned to Chihuahua and served as governor of the state until his death.
Death
After the assassination of PresidentPresident of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González was a politician, writer and revolutionary who served as President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. As a respectable upper-class politician, he supplied a center around which opposition to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz could coalesce...
and Vice-President José María Pino
José María Pino Suárez
José María Pino Suárez was a Mexican statesman, revolutionary, poet, journalist and jurist who served as Vice President of Mexico , Secreatry of Education and Governor of Yucatán...
during La decena trágica
La decena trágica
The Ten Tragic Days was a series of events that took place in Mexico City between February 9 and February 19, 1913, during the Mexican Revolution. They culminated in a coup d'état and the assassination of President Francisco I...
, he was forced to resign from his post as governor and arrested on February 25, 1913, on orders of General Antonio Rábago, a subordinate of the dictator Victoriano Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
. During his incarceration, he was held in the same complex in the Federal Palace of Chihuahua that had housed Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla prior to his execution a century before, during the war for Mexico's independence.http://www.advantagemexico.com/chihuahua/ On 7 March, he was taken aboard a train on the pretense of being transferred to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, but was then removed from the train and murdered in Bachimba Canyon, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Chihuahua, Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
on direct orders from Huerta., who had been responsible for ordering the murders of Madero and Pino Suárez in order to assume power.
His nephew, Colonel Fernando González y González and Pancho Villa later recovered González's remains and gave him a hero's funeral in the city of Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
. He is buried in the Rotunda of Illustrious Chihuahuans under the Angel of Liberty monument in the Plaza Mayor in Chihuahua City.
External links
- Conmemoran aniversario luctuoso de Abraham González
- http://www.elagoradechihuahua.com/XCV-Aniversario-Luctuoso-de,3837.html Two articles on his life.(Spanish)