Francisco Perea

Francisco Perea
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico Territory's At-large district
In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 (Delegate)
Preceded by	John S. Watts
Succeeded by	José Francisco Chaves
Personal details
Born	January 9, 1830 (1830-01-09) Los Padillas, Nuevo México, First Mexican Republic (now Bernalillo County, New Mexico, U.S.)
Died	May 21, 1913(1913-05-21) (aged 83) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Resting place	Fairview Cemetery, New Mexico
Political party	Republican
Relatives	Demi Lovato (great-great-great-granddaughter)
Occupation	politician, businessman, postmaster
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Union Army
Years of service	1861–1862
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel (U.S.)
Commands	Perea's Battalion
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Francisco Perea (January 9, 1830 – May 21, 1913) was an American businessman and politician, serving first in the House of the New Mexico Territory after the area's acquisition by the United States following the Mexican–American War. He was a cousin of Pedro Perea, and grandson of Governor Francisco Xavier Chávez,^[1] the first Governor (1822–1823) of the Departamento de Nuevo México under the independent First Mexican Empire. Perea had a trade network along the Santa Fe Trail between St. Louis and Mexico.

During the American Civil War, Perea was commissioned as a Union Army lieutenant colonel, helping to defend the Territory. He was elected to serve as a delegate for the Territory of New Mexico to the 38th United States Congress from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865. After the war he served again in the Territorial legislature, and then as US postmaster of Jemez Springs from 1894 to 1905.