Pedro Hinojosa

Military career

Pedro Hinojosa was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas to Ramón Hinojosa and Mamerta de la Garza Falcón. At age 18 he enlisted in the National Guard of Tamaulipas, where he fought Texan rebels and Apache and Comanche tribes. During the Mexican–American War in 1848 he became a lieutenant. He continued defending Tamaulipas through its national guard until 1854, when he was elected lieutenant colonel for protecting local territories from the Texan military and native tribes.

In 1854 he adhered to the Plan of Ayutla against Antonio López de Santa Anna, joining the national guard of Tamaulipas, and after the revolution's triumph he became a colonel and a permanent formal member of the military. After Félix María Zuloaga's coup he remained loyal to Benito Juárez and fought with the liberal band in the Reform War, participating in the Batalla de Lomas Largas and the siege of Monterrey, where he was made prisoner by conservatives.

He escaped and fought in the attack on Zacatecas under General Juan Zuazua, as well as attacks on San Luis Potosí and Guadalajara in 1858, earning promotion to brigadier general in November 1858. He continued fighting conservatives in the Bajio area and northern Mexico. In May 1859 he was defeated in La Flor, Durango by conservative leader Domingo Cajén, suffering a leg injury that caused a permanent limp. After this he traveled to Chihuahua and assumed leadership of the garrison, substituting for Luis Terrazes who had gone to battle the Tulices rebels, conservative forces from Durango under Cajén.

Following the liberal triumph and federal elections, Hinojosa was elected general delegate for the Federal Electoral District I of Chihuahua to the II Legislature of 1863.

Secretary of War and Navy

After his time as governor of Chihuahua ended, Hinojosa took charge of the state's military forces. In 1878, he became the leader of the military's wounded corps. He was later chosen as a federal deputy for Hidalgo in the Twelfth Congress, serving from 1884 to 1886.

Yet on December 1, 1884, President Porfirio Díaz appointed him Secretary of War and Navy, a role he held for twelve years until poor health forced his resignation on March 20, 1896. Following that, he led the Supreme Court of Military Justice for over a year before retiring. Hinojosa passed away in Mexico City on March 5, 1903.

Did You Know?

• Hinojosa served as Secretary of War and Navy under Benito Juárez from December 22, 1861 to May 2, 1862, just three days before the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla.
• During his governorship of Chihuahua, Hinojosa was arrested and imprisoned after striking journalist Tomas Cordero Zuza in Plaza Hidalgo, but was later found innocent in a trial.
• He resigned as Secretary of War and Navy on March 20, 1896 due to poor health, after holding the post for 12 years.