ceeded at once to choose its officers, namely, Mariano Riva Palacio, president; Miguel Buenrostro and Ignacio Peña y Barragan, secretaries. Thus constituted, the members voted for the president ad interim, electing Martin Carrera by 26 votes, against 16 for Diaz de la Vega, four for Riva Palacio, and two for Comonfort.[1]
The president elect was a well-meaning man, but being under control of the military element, could obtain no general recognition, nor even leave a footmark of his short rule. He did, it is true, adopt measures in accord with the spirit of the revolution,[2]but his authority did not politically extend outside of the gates of Mexico.
Martin Carrera, besides holding a high rank in the Mexican army with an honorable record,[3] had filled several civil offices; he served as a member of the national legislative junta of 1842, which framed the bases for the political reorganization of the country; also as a senator in the general congress, being reëlected
- ↑ 'Recayó la eleccion en la persona del Exmo Sr general de division D. Martin Carrera.' Archivo Mex., Col. Ley., i. 18-25; Méx., Legisl. Mej., 1855, 493; Dublan and Lozano, Leg. Mex., vii. 553-4; Méx., Col. Ley. Fund., 322; Rivera, Gob. de Méx., ii. 470-5; Baz, Vida de Juarez, 87-8.
- ↑ Abolished the appellation of 'alteza serenísima'; suppressed the order of Guadalupe and the policy of secrecy; liberated all political prisoners; and ordered hostilities on the part of the government troops to cease, unless for defence; mustered auxiliary forces out of service; and forbade comandantes generales to intervene in treasury matters. Dublan and Lozano, Leg. Mex., vii. 554, 572-3; Мéх., Legisl. Mеј., 1855, 403, 479; Archivo Mех., Сol. Ley., і. 31-8.
- ↑ Born at Puebla in 1806. His father being a colonel of artillery of the royal army, the son entered the service when only nine years old, and at twelve was already an officer. In 1821 he joined the ejército trigarante, and later was sent to the defence of Vera Cruz. In 1833 he was made a col of artillery. During his long military service he took part in many actions of war. In July 1840 he defended the government, for which the next year he was premoted to general of brigade. In the U. S. war he served honorably in the valley of Mexico. In 1853, for his services to General Santa Anna, he was made a general of division and a councillor of state, and later accompanied the dictator in the Michoacan campaign. After he ceased to be president, he retired to private life till the tripartite intervention, when he tendered his services to the government, which did not employ him. The empire retired him from the service. He died, much respected and esteemed, on the 22d of April. 1871. Rivera, Gob. de Méx., ii. 471-2, 475; Perez, Dicc. Geog., iii. 272-4.
