José María Montoya

José María Montoya sustained Mexico's Washington legation between the missions of its senior envoys. He took charge after Pablo Obregón's death in 1828 and again after José María Tornel's departure in 1831. Surviving correspondence records work on the legation's finances, naval purchases, and the threat posed by the Spanish expedition against Mexico. He also pressed for the removal of Joel R. Poinsett as the American representative in Mexico. ^{1, 2}

The boundary settlement required repeated intervention. In April 1829 Montoya asked Martin Van Buren whether the United States was ready to exchange ratifications of the 1828 treaty. He had received the necessary Mexican authority, but Van Buren replied that renewed Senate consideration was still required. The delay reflected the American administration's wish to consider the boundary and commercial arrangements together. ³

Montoya later served in Rome, where episcopal appointments exposed disagreements between Mexico and the papacy. In 1850–51 he transmitted the proposed transfer of Joaquín Fernández Madrid to Puebla and reported Cardinal Antonelli's objections. When Rome questioned the nominee's suitability, Montoya reminded the Mexican government that the pope retained final approval even in countries possessing patronage rights. ⁴