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of the entire colony of Florida to Spain.
Gálvez had already extended Spain's pres-
ence to the west with the establishment of
new settlements, including the city that
now bears his name, Galveston, in Texas.
Returning in triumph to Madrid in 1783,
Gálvez was promoted to lieutenant general,
given the title of count, and named gover-
nor of C
UBA
, a position that was subsumed
into that of viceroy of New Spain when his
father, Matías de Gálvez, died in 1784.
Although his tenure in M
EXICO
was brief,
the new viceroy won great popularity in
much the same way he had earned it in
Louisiana—by a combination of personal
charm and progressive administrative pol-
icy. His conduct in both his major assign-
ments proved Gálvez to be a disciple of the
philosophes, committed to the Enlighten-
ment philosophy not merely because it was
favored by C
HARLES
III but because he was
personally convinced of its value. Gálvez
not only improved the commerce and
secured the defenses of Mexico; he relieved
food shortages, improved health care, and
demonstrated his personal sympathies with
the needs of the population. His sudden
death precipitated an outpouring of grief
among the Mexican people rarely seen dur-
ing the colonial era.
later served as a fiscal director in the royal
household. This combination of experi-
ence and expertise led to his appointment
as visitor in N
EW
S
PAIN
in 1765. His duties
in this capacity were to investigate the
sluggish flow of revenues from the wealthy
realm of M
EXICO
. Finding the incumbent
viceroy not only uncooperative but sus-
pect in the diversion of funds, Gálvez pro-
cured his replacement by a more compliant
nobleman who allowed him to function as
virtual ruler of New Spain until 1772.
During that period Gálvez undertook a
program of reform and development that
would be continued during subsequent
decades to the great benefit of the Mexi-
can people and the enhancement of
Spain's income. During these same years
Gálvez also pushed the effective zone of
Spanish control northward into what is
now the southwestern and far western
United States through a combination of
military operations and missionary activ-
ity. In the so-called Provinces of the Inte-
rior of New Spain and along the coast of
C
ALIFORNIA
he initiated the last great
expansion (or exploration) in the history
of the Spanish Empire.
Returning home in 1772 Gálvez was rec-
ognized for his accomplishments with a
whole new range of duties on various coun-
cils and committees and, most important,
was given the newly created Ministry of
Colonies. Although his work during the
remainder of his life was rewarded with the
title marqués de Sonora, a man of his char-
acter, indefatigable in his dedication to busi-
ness and relentless in his pursuit of goals,
undoubtedly found practical accomplish-
ments more gratifying than mere dignities.
He introduced salutary changes in virtually
every aspect of Spanish colonial administra-
Gálvez, José de (marqués de
Sonora)
(1720-1787)
Spanish colonial administrator
The most prominent member of a family
from M
ÁLAGA
that served the enlightened
despot C
HARLES
III with exemplary zeal,
Gálvez was trained as a lawyer at the Uni-
versity of Salamanca and Alcalá. He had
his first taste of colonial administration in
the Philippines in the early 1750s and
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