BRAVO, bri'vey, Nicholas, Mexican states man: b. Chilpanzingo 1790; d. 22 April 1854. He participated in the revolution against Spain (1810-21), and later aided Iturbide in establish ing a republic, and supported him until 18 May 1822, when Iturbide proclaimed himself em peror. To this step Bravo was opposed, and he contributed in no small degree to Iturbide's deposition. He again became a member of the provisional government from 1 April 1822 till 10 Oct. 1824, when the Federal constitution took effect, under which he was elected to be Vice President until 1 April 1829, Guadalupe Vittoria being President. Politicians of Mexico had now become involved in a controversy in which the order of free masons, divided into two par ties, one known as the Escoses and the other as Yorkinos, contended, the one for a central ized, and the other for a Federal, form of gov ernment. Bravo was grand master of the Scotch division, and when the Federal system prevailed he became a leader of the opposition. Notwith standing this, he had been elected Vice-Presi dent; but when, on 23 Dec. 1827, the standard of revolt was raised he became the head of the movement. The purpose of the prominciamiento was to replace the actual members of the execu tive government with men of the Escoses, and to dismiss Mr. Poinsett, then United States Minister in Mexico, who was charged with too actively favoring the other party. Bravo was defeated and expelled, but was recalled in 1830 by President • Bustamante, and sent by him against the insurgent, Guerrero, who was taken in arms and executed by Bravo's orders, 14 Feb. 1833. After this Bravo remained in retire ment until July 1839, when, as president of the council, he was charged with the supreme ad ministration of the government during an in terim of a week. Again from 26 Oct. 1842, till March 1843, he was substituted as President in place of Santa Anna, during the latter's ab sence at the head of the army. For the last
time he held executive power as temporary President from 29 July to 4 Aug. 1846, when he was deposed by a revolution. On the com mencement of the war between Mexico and the United, States, he took up arms in behalf of his country, and participated in the battle of Cerro Gordo. In the autumn of 1853 he was accused by the ministers of Santa Anna of having secretly joined Juan Alvarez in the insurrection he had set on foot; but he denied the accusation and declared he had retired from public life forever.
bra'vo-moo-relyb, Don Juan, Spanish statesman : b. Badajoz, June 1803; d. Madrid, 11 Jan. 1873. In 1825, he entered the College of Advocates at Seville, and showed great devotion to the monarchy. When the Progressionists came into power he went to Madrid, and founded a law magazine, the Boletin de Jurisprudencia. With others, he also established later the conservative papers El Porvenir and El Piloto. In 1836, he be came secretary of the Department of Justice under Senor Isturiz, but was proscribed after the revolution of 1840 and took refuge in France. He returned in 1843 on the downfall of Espartero and in 1847 became Minister of Trade and Public Instruction, and, in 1849-50, of Finance. In 1851 he formed a cabinet, with himself as Premier, but, in 1853, it was super seded by that of General Lersundi. The op pressive measures adopted by Bravo-Murillo and his successors led to the revolution of 1854, which caused him to leave Spain again, but he was recalled by Narviez in 1856. In 1868 he was again of the cabinet, but in the fol lowing year went with the Queen when she was forced to flee to Bayonne.