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Born in San Antonio de Béxar in 1795, José Antonio Navarro came of age during a period of intense revolutionary fervor and swiftly grew into the most influential Tejano of his generation—a merchant, landowner, lawyer, and statesman whose legacy is woven into the very fabric of Texas. For the community of Geronimo, located near the area where Navarro and his family once maintained his historic ranch, his story is particularly resonant as we dedicate Navarro ISD’s newest school to his enduring spirit.

Navarro committed himself to the future of Texas concluding that the path to stability and prosperity lay in Anglo-American colonization, and he soon befriended Stephen F. Austin. Upon his election to the Coahuila y Tejas state legislature and later in the Mexican national congress, Navarro tirelessly advocated for policies that would benefit Texas, promoting the idea of statehood within the Mexican federation.

In 1836, Navarro made the final, profound break with Mexico. Alongside his uncle, José Francisco Ruiz, and Lorenzo de Zavala, he represented San Antonio at the Convention for Texas Independence. He, Ruiz, and Zavala are the only three Mexican signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, with Navarro and Ruiz being the only native-born Tejanos to affix their names to the document. He then plunged into leadership, helping to draft the Constitution of the Republic of Texas.

Navarro’s commitment to his people became his defining purpose after the revolution. He saw that Tejanos were often being marginalized and denied their legal rights by Anglo settlers. Throughout the Republic era, Navarro served in the Texas Congress, assuming the responsibility for giving voice to the concerns of Tejanos and tirelessly attempting to protect their land claims and political influence.

His most powerful act of advocacy came during the Convention of 1845, which voted on the annexation of Texas to the United States and drafted the first state constitution. As the sole Hispanic delegate, Navarro gave an eloquent, persuasive speech that nearly single-handedly influenced the vote to remove discriminatory language that would have disenfranchised and denied voting rights to Hispanics. He successfully protected Tejano citizenship rights, ensuring a place for his people in the new state.

Navarro’s patriotism was tested by immense personal sacrifice. In 1841, while serving as a commissioner on the disastrous Texan Santa Fe expedition, he was captured by Mexican officials. Unlike his American counterparts who were released, Navarro was tried and convicted of treason to Mexico and imprisoned under brutal conditions at Vera Cruz. Santa Anna eventually commuted Navarro to life imprisonment and he was sent to what was known as a "Living Death" dungeon—a prison from which few returned alive.

During his four years of imprisonment, he was offered his freedom if he would only renounce his allegiance to Texas. He never relented. His famous quote, “I will never forsake Texas and her cause. I am her son,” is emblazoned in Texas history. He ultimately escaped with the help of friends, returning home to be hailed as a great Texas hero.

Throughout his life Navarro remained an outspoken advocate for Hispanics. Navarro County and its seat, Corsicana (named for his father’s Corsican birth), serve as lasting monuments to a man whose courage, political skill, and unyielding fight for justice laid the foundation for modern Texas. In 1835, he married Margarita de la Garza and they had seven children. A Texas patriot to the end, Navarro supported secession from the United States in 1861, and his four sons served in the Confederate army. He died at 76 years old on January 13, 1871.

Website Sources: Discover Texas, Humanities Texas, Texas Historical Foundation, Texas State Historical Association, Texas State Library and Archives