José María de la Cruz

{{Short description|Chilean soldier (1799–1875)}}

{{family name hatnote|de la Cruz|Prieto|lang=Spanish}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name=José María de la Cruz

|image=Jose_Maria_de_la_cruz.jpg

|caption=Portrait by José Gil de Castro

|birth_date={{birth date|1799|3|25|mf=y}}

|birth_place= Concepción, Viceroyalty of Peru

|death_date={{death date and age|1875|11|23|1799|3|25|mf=y}}

|death_place=Concepción, Chile

|parents={{ubl|Luis de la Cruz|Josefa Prieto Sotomayor}}

|spouse=Josefa Zañartu Trujillo

|children=Delfina de la Cruz

|office=Navy General Commander

|term_start=1842

|term_end=1843

|predecessor=Victorino Garrido

|successor=Robert Simpson

|term_start2=1829

|term_end2=1831

|predecessor2=Francisco de la Lastra

|successor2=José Matías López

|office3= Minister of War and Navy

|term_start3=1841

|term_end3=1842

|predecessor3=Manuel Montt

|successor3=José Santiago Aldunate

|term_start4 = 1830

|term_end4 = 1831

|predecessor4=José María Benavente

|successor4=Diego Portales

|allegiance={{flagicon|Chile}} Chile

|branch={{navy|Chile}}

|rank=Divisional General

|battles= {{Tree list}}

• Chilean War of Independence
• Battle of Chacabuco
• Battle of Maipú
• Chilean Civil War of 1829–30
• Battle of Lircay
• War of the Confederation
• Battle of Portada de Guías
• Battle of Yungay
• Revolution of 1851
• Battle of Loncomilla

{{tree list/end}}

}}

General José María de la Cruz Prieto (Concepción, March 25, 1799 – November 23, 1875) was a Chilean soldier.{{Cite web |title=Jose María De la Cruz Prieto |url=https://www.bcn.cl/historiapolitica/resenas_parlamentarias/wiki/Jose_Mar%C3%ADa_De_la_Cruz_Prieto |access-date=19 July 2024 |website=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |language=es-CL}}

The son of Luis de la Cruz and of Josefa Prieto Sotomayor, and was a cousin of future presidents José Joaquín Prieto and Manuel Bulnes. He joined the Army on October 27, 1811, and participated actively in the battles of Chacabuco, Maipu and Pangal during the Chilean War of Independence. He married Josefa Zañartu Trujillo, and had a single daughter: Delfina de la Cruz Zañartu who in turn was the wife of future president Aníbal Pinto.

During the War of the Confederation, he was the under-commandant-in-chief of the Restoration Army, under General Manuel Bulnes, having special participation in the victory of Yungay.

After the war, he was Intendant of Valparaíso and later, of Concepción. He ran for president in 1851, but was defeated by Manuel Montt. His defeat caused him to revolt in the southern provinces, starting the 1851 revolution. His cousin Manuel Bulnes crushes the revolutionary attempt and signs the treaty of Purapel with the revolutionaries.

After that he retired from politics, dying in Concepcion at the age of 76.