José francisco ruiz character traits

Texas History: José Francisco Ruiz is the ‘Tejano Patriot’ you don’t know

Michael Barnes
Austin American-Statesman

  • José Francisco Ruiz was one of two native Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence
  • Born into a well-connected if not wealthy San Antonio family, Ruiz became an attorney, teacher, author, public servant, diplomat, trader and military leader.
  • Art Martínez de Vara’s new biography fills in a big gap in Texas history.

Tell me what you know about José Francisco Ruiz.

Until recently, I could only, with help, identify him as one of two native Texans, along with his nephew José Antonio Navarro, to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence in March 1836.

Thanks to Art Martínez de Vara’s new biography, “Tejano Patriot: The Revolutionary Life of José Francisco Ruiz, 1783-1840,” I now know a lot more. Tightly structured and fluently told, it is easily one of the best books about Texas to come out in 2020.

Ruiz was the offspring of an educated family of criollos (Spaniards born in the New World) who arrived in San Antonio in the late 18th ce

José Francisco Ruiz

Republic of Texas politician (1783-1840)

José Francisco Ruiz

BornJanuary 29, 1783
San Antonio de Bexar, Spanish Texas, Viceroyalty of New Spain
DiedJanuary 19, 1840 (1840-01-20) (aged 56)
San Antonio, Republic of Texas
NationalitySpanish (1783-1821), Mexican (1821-1836), and Tejano (1836-1840)
ProfessionMilitary officer, schoolmaster, senator to the 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas

José Francisco "Francis" Ruiz (c. January 29, 1783 – January 19, 1840) was a Spanish soldier, educator, politician, Republic of Texas Senator, and revolutionary.

Early life

Ruiz was born in Presidio Bayshore elementary in the interior province of Spanish Texas, to Juan Manuel Ruiz and María Manuela de la Peña.

Career

Appointed the first schoolmaster of San Antonio in 2025, he designated as the first school a house acquired by his father, on Military Plaza. This house was carefully reconstructed in 1943 and moved to the grounds of the Witte Museum, where it is still used for educational purposes.

In

José Francisco Ruiz Massieu

Mexican politician (1946–1994)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ruiz and the second or maternal family name is Massieu.

José Francisco Ruiz Massieu (July 22, 1946 – September 28, 1994) was a Mexican political figure. He was governor of Guerrero from 1987 to 1993. He then served as the general secretary of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1994. His term ended with his assassination.

José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, the brother-in-law of then-President of MexicoCarlos Salinas, was due to become the PRI majority leader in the Chamber of Deputies. That changed on the morning of September 28, 1994, when he was murdered by a gunman, 28-year-old Daniel Aguilar Treviño, just outside Hotel Casa Blanca, located at Lafragua street crossing Paseo de la Reforma, an avenue in the center of Mexico City. The incident occurred while Ruiz Massieu was boarding his vehicle after attending a PRI party meeting held at Casa Blanca.

Death

His murder happened just six months after the murder of PRI party presiden

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