Raphael Blaine of Arizona.
Raphael Blaine was Acting President of the United States of Mexico from June to September 1851, following the assasination of Mexican President Pedro Hermión.
Blaine served as Secretary of State in Hermión's Cabinet during the early years of the Rocky Mountain War. Blaine resigned as Secretary of State to run for a Senate seat from Arizona, which he won.
Blaine was appointed to serve as Acting President following Hermión's assassination on 19 June 1851. Hermión's death left the Continentalist Party without a candidate for the upcoming 1851 Mexican elections, and Blaine was chosen in his place. During the election campaign, Blaine disparaged Liberty Party candidate Hector Niles as "The Faceless Wonder of San Francisco." However, a Mexican public weary of the war chose Niles over Blaine, and Blaine's term as Acting President ended on 5 September 1851 with Niles' inauguration.
Sobel makes no further mention of Blaine after his defeat.
Sobel's source for Raphael Blaine's time as Acting President is Carlos McBride's The U.S.M. Elections of 1851: The End of an Era (Mexico City, 1960).
| Heads of State of the U.S.M. |
|---|
| Andrew Jackson • Miguel Huddleston • Pedro Hermión • Raphael Blaine • Hector Niles • Arthur Conroy • Omar Kinkaid • George Vining • Benito Hermión • Martin Cole • Anthony Flores • Victoriano Consalus • Emiliano Calles • Pedro Fuentes • Alvin Silva • Felix Garcia • Vincent Mercator • Raphael Dominguez |