Bernardo de Galvez
| Bernardo de Gálvez | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 61st Viceroy of New Spain | |
|
In office 1785–1787 |
|
| Monarch | Charles III |
| Preceded by | Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo |
| Succeeded by | Alonso Núñez de Haro y Peralta |
| 5th Spanish Governor of Louisiana | |
|
In office 1777–1785 |
|
| Monarch | Charles III |
| Preceded by | Luis de Unzaga |
| Succeeded by | Esteban Rodríguez Miró |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid 23 July 1746 Macharaviaya, Málaga, Spain |
| Died | 30 November 1786 (aged 40) Tacubaya, Kingdom of Mexico, New Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Spain
|
| Service/branch | Spanish Army |
| Years of service | 1762–1786 |
| Rank |
Captain General Marshal |
| Battles/wars | Invasion of Algiers |
Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez (Macharaviaya, Málaga, Spain 23 July 1746 – 30 November 1786) was a Spanish military leader and colonial administrator who served as colonial governor of Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New Spain.
Gálvez aided the American Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led Spanish forces against Britain in the Revolutionary War, defeating the British at the Siege of Pensacola (1781) and reconquering Florida for Spain. He spent the last two years of his life as Viceroy of New Spain, succeeding his father Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo. The city of Galveston, Texas, was named after him.
Gálvez is one of only eight people to be awarded honorary United States citizenship.
Gálvez was born in Macharaviaya, a mountain village in the province of Málaga, Spain, on 23 July 1746. He studied military sciences at the Academia de Ávila and at the age of 16 participated in the Spanish invasion of Portugal, which stalled after the Spanish had captured Almeida. During the conflict he was promoted to lieutenant. He arrived in Mexico, which was then part of New Spain, in 1762. As a captain, he fought the Apaches, with his Opata Indian allies. He received many wounds, several of them serious. In 1770, he was promoted to commandant of arms of Nueva Vizcaya and Sonora, northern provinces of New Spain.
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