SERRANO, FRANCISCO, Duke de la Torre and Count of San Antonio (1810-1885), Spanish marshal and statesman, born in the island of Leon, Cadiz, on Dec. 17, 181o. A cadet in 1822, he was promoted from captain to brigadier-general in the Carlist War (1834-1839), and obtained the Cross of San Fer nando and many medals. Member of the Cortes for Malaga in 1839, general of division and commander of the district of Valencia in 184o, he helped, in 1841, Espartero to overthrow the regency of Queen Cristina; in 1843 at Barcelona he made a pronunciamiento against Espartero. He was minister of war in the Lopez and Olozaga cabinets, senator in 1845, captain-general of Cranada in 1848: from then until 1853 he lived apart from politics. He assisted O'Donnell in the military movements of 1854 and 1856, was made marshal in 1856, and captain-general of Cuba (1859-62), being the first viceroy to advocate political and financial reforms in the colony. On his return to Spain he was made duke de la Torre, grandee of the first class and minister of foreign affairs by O'Donnell. Serrano gallantly ex posed his life to help O'Donnell quell the formidable insurrection of June 22, 1866, at Madrid and was rewarded with the Golden Fleece. At the death of O'Donnell, as president of the senate, he helped Rios Rosas to draw up a petition to Queen Isabella against her Moderado ministers. Exiled, he conspired with the duke of Montpensier, Prim, and Sagasta, and was transported to the Canary Islands (July 7, 1868). On Sept. 18, Admiral Topete sent a steamer to bring him to Cadiz. On landing, he signed the
manifesto of the revolution with Prim, Topete, Sagasta, and others and, taking command of the revolutionary army, routed Isabella's troops at Alcolea.
The queen fled to France, Serrano entered Madrid, convoked the Cortes Constituyentes (Feb. 1869), and was appointed regent. He respected the liberty of action of the Cortes in choosing Amadeus of Savoy, though he would have preferred Montpensier. He twice attempted to form a coalition cabinet under King Amadeus, and after his abdication (Feb. i1, 1873), he conspired against the federal republic (April 23, 1873), failed, and went to France until General Pavia recalled him on the eve of his coup d'etat (Jan. 3, 1874). President of the executive again, Serrano tried first a coalition cabinet, in which Martos and Sagasta soon quarrelled, then formed a cabinet presided over by Sagasta, which, however, proved unable to cope with the military and political agitation that ended in the restoration of the Bour bons. During his eleven months of office, Serrano reorganized the finance, tried to renew relations with American and European powers and to suppress revolt. After the Restoration, he spent some time in France, returning to Madrid in 1876; marshal in the senate, he coquetted a little with Sagasta in 1881, and finally gave his open support to the formation of a dynastic left with a democratic programme defended by his own nephew, Gen. Lopez Dominguez. He died in Madrid on Nov. 26, 1885.
(A. E. Ho.)