Tomás O'Horán y Escudero

Tomás O'Horán
Tomás O'Horán
Governor of the State of Mexico
	In office; 1862–1862
President	Benito Juárez
Preceded by	Pascual González Fuentes
Succeeded by	Francisco Ortiz de Zárate
Mayor of Mexico City
	In office; September 30, 1867 – June 14, 1867
Monarch	Maximiliano I of Mexico
Preceded by	Mariano Icaza
Succeeded by	Porfirio Díaz
Personal details
Born	January 11, 1819; Guatemala City, Captaincy General of Guatemala, Viceroyalty of New Spain
Died	August 21, 1867 (aged 48); Mexico City, Mexico
Military service
Allegiance	Centralist Republic of Mexico; Second Federal Republic of Mexico; Second Mexican Empire
Branch	Mexican Army; Imperial Mexican Army
Years of service	1836 – 1867
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Texas Revolution; Pastry War; Mexican–American War Northern Mexican Theater Battle of Buena Vista; ; ; Reform War; Second Franco-Mexican War Battle of Puebla; Siege of Puebla; Siege of Mexico City ; ;

Tomás Antonio Ignacio O'Horán y Escudero (1819-1867) was an Imperial Mexican general of Irish descent during the Second French intervention in Mexico. He was known for switching sides during the war as he initially sided with Benito Juárez but after the Siege of Mexico City, O'Horán was executed.

Early military career

He was the son of Tomas O'Horan who was a prominent politician from Yucatan and the brother to Agustín O'Horán, a doctor who would gain fame in Mexico. He began his military career as a cadet in 1836 as he was within Antonio López de Santa Anna's army to quell the Texas Revolution. He also participated in the Pastry War and was stationed in Yucatán as a second lieutenant to oppose Santiago Imán the following year. During the Mexican–American War, O'Horán participated in the Battle of Buena Vista. Similarly during the Reform War, he sided with the Benito Juárez and the liberal faction of the war.^[1]

Second French intervention

Due to his previous affiliation with Juárez, O'Horán again sided with Juárez against the French Empire and the Mexican imperialists. Initially given the nickname "the Immortal of Atlixco", he managed to repel Imperial Mexican forces along with General Antonio Carvajal which played a significant role in the Republican victory during the Battle of Puebla. During the battle, his liberal friend Antonio Taboada asked O'Horán if he would like to switch sides, claiming that if he did so, that Mexico would be brought to stability but he declined at the moment.^[2] ^[3] Later on at the Siege of Puebla, O'Horán launched a raid through the French siege lines to deliver goods to the Republicans which helped to prolong the siege.^[4] Due to his military accomplishments, Juárez made O'Horán the military governor of Morelia and later, Governor of the State of Mexico. However, after the Republican forces evacuated Central Mexico and in a difficult employment position, O'Horán defected to the Imperial Mexican Army and managed to quell the unrest at Tlalpan.^[1]

O'Horán was then made Mayor of Mexico City when Juárez's forces began to lay siege at Mexico City. Despite putting up resistance, O'Horán was forced to flee the city but while fleeing, was apprehended and sentenced to death for treason.^[5] General Porfirio Díaz requested Juárez to pardon O'Horán due to his previous service but Juárez was adamant on the execution of O'Horán. He then wrote a manifesto, claiming that he simply wanted to bring order to Mexico, never intended to back the interests of foreign powers and did not deserve death for a political error due to his prior service in serving the country. Nonetheless, O'Horán was executed by firing squad on August 21, 1867.^[1]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "The Remarkable O'Horáns". The Yucatán Times (in Russian). March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
^ Shawcross, Edward (2018). France, Mexico and Informal Empire in Latin America. Springer International. p. 136. ISBN 9783319704647..
^ Taboada, Antonio (May 8, 1862). "Carta de Antonio Taboada al Gral. Tomás O'Horan" (in Spanish). Letter to Tomás O'Horan.
^ El Sitio de Puebla: 150 aniversario (PDF) (in Spanish). Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla. 2015. p. 36. ISBN 978-607-487-875-2. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
^ Tweedle, Alec (1906). Porfirio Diaz, Seven Times President of Mexico. London: Hurst and Blackett, Limited. p. 231. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
^ "Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography". Society for Irish Latin American Studies. Retrieved September 12, 2012.

Bibliography

Diccionario Porrúa, 6th Edition, Editorial Porrúa, Mexico, 1995
Archivo General Nacional, Mexico
Arturo Erosa Barbachano Biografía del doctor Agustín Jorge O'Horán Escudero, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, 2005

[Yucatán-1] "The Remarkable O'Horáns". The Yucatán Times (in Russian). March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2022.

[2] Shawcross, Edward (2018). France, Mexico and Informal Empire in Latin America. Springer International. p. 136. ISBN 9783319704647..

[3] Taboada, Antonio (May 8, 1862). "Carta de Antonio Taboada al Gral. Tomás O'Horan" (in Spanish). Letter to Tomás O'Horan.

[4] El Sitio de Puebla: 150 aniversario (PDF) (in Spanish). Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla. 2015. p. 36. ISBN 978-607-487-875-2. Retrieved October 11, 2022.

[5] Tweedle, Alec (1906). Porfirio Diaz, Seven Times President of Mexico. London: Hurst and Blackett, Limited. p. 231. Retrieved October 11, 2022.

[6] "Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography". Society for Irish Latin American Studies. Retrieved September 12, 2012.

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