Celebrate Texas Independence at "Independence Eve"

March 1

 

The Fearless Fifty-Nine, Jose Antonio Baldomero

Jose Antonio Baldomero Navarro was the 41 year old Bexar representative. Navarro, along with his uncle, Jose Francisco Ruiz, were the only two delegates actually born in Texas. His friendship with Stephen F. Austin is what spiked his interest in Texas colonization. He was elected to both the Coahuila and Texas state legislature and to the federal congress at Mexico City. During the Convention, he was only one of three Mexican signers. After the Convention, he was a San Antonio representative in Texas Congress from 1838 to 1839. He was a big supporter of advancing the rights of Tejanos, whom many held in contempt after the Texas Revolution. He also strongly opposed Sam Houston. During the Santa Fe expedition, he was imprisoned for fourteen months before escaping back to Texas. Upon coming back, he served as the sole Hispanic delegate at the Convention of 1845. He voted for the annexation of Texas and helped write the first state Constitution. After that, he served as a Senator in the Texas Legislature from 1846 to 1848.