Francisco Perea
Francisco Perea (January 9, 1830 – May 21, 1913) was an American businessman and politician, serving first in the House of the New Mexico Territory after the area's acquisition by the United States following the Mexican–American War. He was a cousin of Pedro Perea, and grandson of Governor Francisco Xavier Chávez, the first Governor (1822–1823) of the Departamento de Nuevo México under the independent First Mexican Empire. Perea had a trade network along the Santa Fe Trail between St. Louis and Mexico.
Francisco Perea | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico Territory's At-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 (Delegate) | |
| Preceded by | John S. Watts |
| Succeeded by | José Francisco Chaves |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 9, 1830 Los Padillas, Nuevo México, First Mexican Republic (now Bernalillo County, New Mexico, U.S.) |
| Died | May 21, 1913 (aged 83) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fairview Cemetery, New Mexico |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives | Demi Lovato (great-great-great-granddaughter) |
| Occupation | politician, businessman, postmaster |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1862 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel (U.S.) |
| Commands | Perea's Battalion |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
During the American Civil War, Perea was commissioned as a Union Army lieutenant colonel, helping to defend the Territory. He was elected to serve as a delegate for the Territory of New Mexico to the 38th United States Congress from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865. After the war he served again in the Territorial legislature, and then as US postmaster of Jemez Springs from 1894 to 1905.