Public Life
In 1802 he was appointed deputy of Asunción by the Consulate of Buenos Aires representing the union of merchants, acting skillfully in this position until 1804. His staying in the port was useful to consolidate his friendship relationships with some of the families of lineage in the city.
He appeared in the last stages of Paraguayan colonial life. He served with the degree of "alférez" integrating forces in the province of Paraguay highlighted by Bernardo de Velazco to expel the British from Montevideo, which they occupied in 1807.
He appeared as regent of the City Hall of Asunción towards 1810.
De la Mora was a strong supporter of independence. He maintained an old conspiratorial attitude in favor of the emancipation of Spain. Produced the coup of May 1811, in consideration of his personal virtues, his culture and education, it was crucial to organize the new independent government.
On 17 June 1811 he met the First Congress of emancipated Paraguay. On the proposal of Mariano Antonio Molas, that Congress stripped from all command to Bernardo de Velazco and Huidobro, and created the Senior Governing Board formed with the head of the province's most prestigious man, Colonel Fulgencio Yegros as president.
As members it included Dr. Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, a skilled civilian figure, the young captain Pedro Juan Caballero representative of the troops that had defeated the invasion of Buenos Aires, a religious man, priest Francisco Xavier Bogarin and finally Don Fernando de la Mora, a civilian without restrictions, who was linked to the Paraguayan society.
Soon after he had assumed his duties de la Mora was commissioned to lead a punitive expedition against Mbaya Indians north of the province. In November 1812 he was sent to the Villa Real of Concepcion with orders to recover Fort Borbon which had been occupied by the Portuguese during the riots of Independence. Having noticed the withdrawal of the forces belonging to the strong neighboring Coimbra, Mora organized the City Hall of Concepcion, created by decree of the Board on 12 November 1812.
In the absence of Mora, at meetings of the Board, and for almost the entire year of 1812 Dr. Francia went on to become the brain of the project. In the knowledge that Mora was an open opponent to his ideas, he responded with a deep antipathy. It accused the intention of joining Paraguay with Buenos Aires and particularly the loss of secret documents from the State. He was referring to the additional article of the treaty of 12 October signed on Asunción with the senator Manuel Belgrano, which the Triumvirate of Buenos Aires used to unjustifiably apply taxes to Paraguayan tobacco.
Since the signing of the Treaty of above 12 October serious disagreements arose with Buenos Aires.
Read more about this topic: Fernando De La Mora (politician)
Famous quotes related to public life:
“I leave the governor’s office next week, and with it public life ... [which] has been on the whole a pleasant one. But for ten years and over my salaries have not equalled my expenses, and there has been a feeling of responsibility, a lack of independence, and a necessary neglect of my family and personal interests and comfort, which make the prospect of a change comfortable to think of.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)