Juan Bautista Topete Explained

Juan Bautista Topete
Honorific Prefix:Admiral
The Most Excellent
Office:Prime Minister of Spain
Status:Interim
Term Start:27 December 1870
Term End:4 January 1871
Predecessor:Juan Prim
Successor:Francisco Serrano
Office2:Minister of the Navy of Spain
President2:Francisco Serrano
Primeminister2:Francisco Serrano
Juan de Zavala
Termstart2:3 January 1874
Termend2:13 May 1874
Predecessor2:José Oreyro y Villavicencio
Successor2:Rafael Rodríguez Arias
Monarch3:Amadeo I
Primeminister3:Francisco Serrano
Termstart3:26 May 1872
Termend3:13 June 1872
Predecessor3:José Malcampo
Successor3:José María Beránger
Primeminister4:Juan Prim
Termstart4:9 January 1870
Termend4:20 March 1870
Predecessor4:Juan Prim
Successor4:José María Beránger
Primeminister5:Francisco Serrano
Juan Prim
Termstart5:8 October 1868
Termend5:6 November 1869
Predecessor5:Antonio de Estrada
Successor5:Juan Prim
Office6:Minister of State of Spain
Monarch6:Amadeo I
Term Start6:27 December 1870
Term End6:4 January 1871
Predecessor6:Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
Successor6:Cristino Martos y Balbí
Office7:Minister of War of Spain
Monarch7:Amadeo I
Term Start7:27 December 1870
Term End7:4 January 1871
Predecessor7:Juan Prim
Successor7:Francisco Serrano
Birth Date:24 May 1821
Birth Place:San Andrés Tuxtla, New Spain
Death Date:29 October 1885 (aged 64 years)
Death Place:Madrid, Spain
Birthname:Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo
Nationality:Spanish
Status7:Interim
Primeminister6:Himself
Primeminister7:Himself

Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo (24 May 1821  - 29 October 1885) was a Spanish Navy officer and politician. He was born in San Andrés Tuxtla, Mexico. His father and grandfather were also Spanish admirals. He entered the navy at the age of seventeen, cut out a Carlist vessel in 1839, and became a midshipman at twenty-two, obtaining the cross of naval merit for saving the life of a sailor in 1841 and became a lieutenant in 1845. He served on the West Indian station for three years, and was engaged in repressing the slave trade before he was promoted frigate captain in 1857. He was promoted chief of staff to the fleet during the Moroccan War, 1859, after which he received the crosses of Saint Ferdinad and Saint Hermenegild.

Having been appointed chief of the Carrara arsenal at Cádiz, he was elected a deputy and joined the Union Liberal of O'Donnell and Serrano. He was sent out to the Pacific in command of the frigate "Blanca," and was present at the bombardment of Valparaíso and Callao, where he was badly wounded, and in other engagements of the war between Chile and Peru.

On his return to Spain, Topete was made port captain at Cádiz, which enabled him to take the lead of the conspiracy in the fleet against the Bourbon monarchy. He sent the steamer "Buenaventura" to the Canary Islands for Serrano and the other exiles; and when Prim and Sagasta arrived from Gibraltar, the whole fleet under the influence of Topete took such an attitude that the people, garrison and authorities of Cádiz followed suit.

Topete took part in all the posts of the revolutionary government, accepted the post of marine minister, was elected a member of the Cortes in 1869, and supported the pretensions of Antoine, Duke of Montpensier. He initially opposed the election of Amadeus, but latter sat on several cabinets seats of that king's reign. He was prosecuted by the federal republic of 1873 and again took charge of the marine under Serrano in 1874. After the Restoration, he was held aloof for many years, but finally accepted the presidency of a naval board in 1877. Later, he sat in the Senate as a life peer until his death in Madrid.

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