Tejano History

Benavides, Basilio

Benavides, Basilio

Tejanos |

       BENAVIDES, BASILIO (1800–1863). Basilio Benavides, the second of five Tejanos known to have served in the Texas House of Representatives during the nineteenth century, was born in Laredo on April 15, 1800. His family was originally from Revilla in what is now Tamaulipas, Mexico. He married Encarnación García, also of Laredo. Benavides entered public life at the age of sixteen, when he became postmaster of Laredo, a position he held until 1827. From 1827 until 1848, when Laredo experienced some of its most troublesome times, Benavides was either the mayor of the city or a military commandant. During this period he also fought on the Federalist side to establish the Republic of the Rio Grande, a brief union of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, along the Texas-Mexico border in 1840.

Full article on the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas Online

   Courtesy of the Texas State Historical Association.